Ashwinkumar Chandrashekarapuram Swaminathan¹, Rajkumar Rajamanickam², Dhanalakshmi Chokkalingam³, Bobby Gunasekaran⁴, Uma Palanisamy⁵, Kumaran Badri⁶, Ibnu Noufal Kambitta Valappil⁷, Debajit Karmakar⁸, Ronni Yenes⁹, Karuppasamy Govindasamy¹⁰

¹Faculty of Yoga Science and Therapy, Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
²Department of Community Medicine, Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, India
³Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Department of Physical Education, Rathinamangalam, Melakottaiyur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
⁴Y.M.C.A. College of Physical Education, Nandanam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
⁵Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science University, Saveetha School of Physical Education, Department of Sports Science and Nutrition, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
⁶Tat Sat Yoga Studio & Research Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
⁷Department of Physical Education and Sports, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
⁸Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Department of Physical Education Pedagogy, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
⁹Universitas Negeri Padang, Faculty of Sport Science, Sumatera Barat 25131, Indonesia
¹⁰Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Department of Sports Recreation and Wellness, Hyderabad Campus, Rangareddy, Telangana, India

Effect of Yoga Therapy and Music Therapy in Stabilizing C-Reactive Protein Among Hypertensive Middle-Aged Men

Sport Mont 2025, 23(1), 37-42 | DOI: 10.26773/smj.250206

Abstract

Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are associated with increased cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients. While yoga and music therapy have shown individual benefits in cardiovascular health, their combined effect on inflammatory markers remains unexplored. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a 12-week combined yoga and music therapy intervention on inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α) and blood pressure parameters in middle-aged hypertensive men. In this randomized controlled trial, 72 hypertensive men (mean age 42.3±6.4 years) were randomized to either a combined yoga and music therapy intervention (n=36) or control group (n=36). The intervention group participated in structured yoga sessions combined with music therapy for 12 weeks, while the control group received standard care. Primary outcomes included changes in inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α) and blood pressure measurements. Following the 12-week intervention, the yoga and music therapy group showed significant reductions in inflammatory markers compared to controls: hs-CRP (-1.50±0.55 vs -0.2±0.3 mg/L, p<0.001), IL-6 (-1.45±0.45 vs -0.2±0.2 pg/mL, p<0.001), and TNF-α (-3.85±1.15 vs -0.4±0.3 pg/mL, p<0.001). Blood pressure parameters also improved significantly in the intervention group: systolic (-10.55±3.5 vs -1.6±1.1 mmHg, p<0.001) and diastolic (-7.05±2.25 vs -0.6±0.8 mmHg, p<0.001). Large effect sizes were observed across all outcomes (0.72-0.79). Combined yoga and music therapy effectively reduced inflammatory markers and blood pressure in middle-aged hypertensive men. This integrative approach shows promise as a complementary intervention in managing hypertension and associated inflammatory markers.

Keywords

yoga, hypertension, inflammatory markers, blood pressure, complementary therapy

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