A low-impact exercise practice, yoga has been used for more than 5,000 years and may help address metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). According to research discussed in the article, yoga can reduce fat buildup and liver fibrosis without requiring weight loss, partly through increased blood flow to the liver.
How Yoga Supports Liver Function
Yoga stimulates a chemical called PGC-1 Alpha, described as “the strongest known stimulant for your mitochondria and that includes the liver,” according to Loren Fishman, MD, who studies yoga as a treatment for medical conditions. Exercise increases blood flow and opens blood vessels, triggering regeneration and organ growth. Poses that twist and compress the abdomen massage organs and improve their functioning. One small study found that people with chronic conditions benefited from these abdominal compressions, which push gas out of the body “much like the process of wringing out a sponge.”
Additional Health Benefits
Research indicates that Kundalini yoga increases sleep time, improves sleep efficiency, and reduces sleep disruptions. Frequent yoga practice leads to significant drops in stress and improvements in overall well-being, with dozens of studies supporting these findings through brain wave measurements and quality of life scoring. Yoga poses calm the nervous system and help with anxiety. The practice also has a “modest but significant effect” on high blood pressure when incorporating asanas, breathing, and meditation—particularly relevant since high blood pressure combined with MASLD significantly increases fibrosis risk.
Specific Poses for MASLD
The source details six yoga poses recommended for liver health: Bridge Pose engages the core and massages abdominal organs to boost digestion; Legs-Up-the-Wall is a passive inversion that improves blood flow back to the heart and reduces swelling; Knee-to-Chest Pose compresses the abdomen to move gas through the digestive tract; Seated Forward Fold releases tension while massaging abdominal organs; Sphinx Pose stretches the front of the body and massages the liver; and Child’s Pose opens the hips and lower back. Each pose includes detailed instructions on proper form and modifications.
According to Fishman, “Yoga is dose related. The more you do, the more you get out of it.” About 36 million Americans practice some form of yoga.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://us.headtopics.com/news/6-yoga-poses-for-liver-health-80211958