Association of an integrated yoga and naturopathy-based residential lifestyle intervention with glycemic, lipid, and liver function parameters in patients with chronic kidney disease: A pilot study

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health burden often accompanied by metabolic disturbances that accelerate disease progression and cardiovascular risk. Yoga and naturopathy show metabolic benefits in chronic conditions, but evidence in CKD remains limited, warranting further investigation into these integrative approaches. Objectives: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the association of an integrated yoga and naturopathy-based lifestyle intervention with blood glucose levels, lipid profile, and liver function parameters in patients with CKD.Methods: A non-randomized, uncontrolled pilot study with a single-group pre-post design was conducted among ۵۰ patients with CKD who underwent a ۳۰-day integrated residential yoga and naturopathy-based lifestyle intervention. The intervention included yoga practices, a supervised plant-based naturopathy diet, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, mud therapy, heliotherapy, chromotherapy, magnetotherapy, and lifestyle counselling. Biochemical assessments included fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial blood glucose (PPBG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA۱c), haemoglobin (Hb), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), bilirubin, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), measured at baseline and after completion of the intervention.Results: A statistically significant reduction was observed in PPBG, HbA۱c, and TC (p < ۰.۰۰۱ for all), as well as in FBG (p < ۰.۰۱) and LDL (p < ۰.۰۵) following the intervention. No statistically significant changes were observed in Hb, HDL, VLDL, bilirubin, SGOT, or SGPT (p > ۰.۰۵ for all comparisons). All enrolled participants completed the intervention and post-intervention assessments. Mild transient symptoms, including giddiness, headache, and tiredness, were reported by a small number of participants during the early phase of the intervention and resolved without treatment discontinuation.Conclusion: An integrated yoga and naturopathy-based residential lifestyle intervention was associated with short-term improvements in glycemic parameters and selected lipid markers in patients with CKD. No significant changes were observed in haemoglobin or liver function parameters. Given the small sample size, absence of a control group, lack of detailed CKD staging, and short duration of follow-up, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Larger, well-designed randomized controlled trials with longer follow-up and comprehensive renal and metabolic assessments are required to confirm these preliminary observations.

کلیدواژه ها:

alternative medicine ، Chronic kidney disease ، integrative medicine ، naturopathy ، Yoga