Older adults have an increased burden of chronic disease, disability, and frailty. Frailty affects up to 50 percent of adults 80 and older, and its prevention and management are high-priority areas in public health and clinical practice. Yoga may be a prevention and management strategy and is already used to improve balance and mobility in older adults. 

A review of 33 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by researchers found that yoga improved gait speed (how fast one walks a specified distance) and lower extremity strength in inactive older people. However, yoga didn’t seem to offer a benefit for frailty over activities like exercise or tai chi. The review is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. 

In findings that add to a growing role of yoga in healthy aging, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School reviewed 33 RCTs of 2,384 participants 65 years or older to evaluate the effect of yoga-based interventions on frailty. There was moderate evidence that yoga improved gait speed and lower body strength and endurance. The benefits for balance and handgrip strength were less certain. The researchers said clinicians may consider recommending Iyengar-based styles of yoga that can be customized for older adults.