An article in the October 18 online issue of the Minnesota Daily features a study showing a relationship between the effect of practicing yoga and preventing weight gain. Researchers studied young adults who were overweight five years before the study, and found that those who engaged in yoga had a slight weight loss over time, while those who were not practicing yoga gained weight.  Beth Lewis, Ph.D., professor and director in the School of Kinesiology, was quoted, saying: “[Yoga] has the potential to reach individuals who … want something that combines a physical activity that really deals with not only your mental health but your physical well-being.”

The study is part of a larger research initiative,  Project EAT, which examines nutrition, physical activity and weight status among people in Minnesota ranging from adolescence to adulthood.