Carol's pick: Keicolt-Glaser, JK and others: Adiponectin, leptin, and yoga practice. Physiol Behav. 2012 Jan. 27: (Don't worry too much about the biochemical words: Leptin is proinflammatory and adiponectin has anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is involved in arthritis, asthma, heart disease, etc.) Frequency of self-reported yoga practice showed significant negative relationships with leptin; more weeks of yoga practice over the last year, more lifetime yoga sessions, and more years of yoga practice were all significantly associated with lower leptin, with similar findings for the adiponectin to leptin ration. Novices and experts did not show even marginal differences on behavioral and physiological dimensions that might represent potential confounds, including BMI, central adiposity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and diet. . . . Longer-term and/or more intensive yoga practice could have beneficial health consequences . . . .

Other research links:
Kolasinski SL, Garfinkel M, Tsai AG, Matz W, Van Dyke A., Schumacher HR. Iyengar yoga for treating symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knees: a pilot study. (Conclusion: . . . yoga may provide a feasible treatment option for previously yoga-naive, obese patients over 50 years of age and offers potential reductions in pain and disability caused by knee osteoarthritis.)

Haaz, S. et al. The effect of yoga on clinical parameters in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Abstract presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting, San Francisco, Oct. 25-29, 208. (Conclusion: After eight weeks of yoga, participants "had significantly fewer tender and swollen joints than they did before starting class." As reported in the Nov.-Dec. 20-08 issue of Research Update, a publiction of the Arthritis Foundation.

Dash M, Telles S.Improvement in hand grip strength in normal volunteers and rheumatoid arthritis patients following yoga training. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2001 Jul;45(3):355-60. PMID: 11881576

Garfinkel M, Schumacher HR Jr. Yoga. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2000 Feb;26(1):125-32, x. PMID: 10680200

Garfinkel MS, Schumacher HR Jr, Husain A, Levy M, Reshetar RA. Evaluation of a yoga based regimen for treatment of osteoarthritis of the hands.
J Rheumatol. 1994 Dec;21(12):2341-3. PMID: 7699639

Haslock I, Monro R, Nagarathna R, Nagendra HR, Raghuram NV. Measuring the effects of yoga in rheumatoid arthritis. Br J Rheumatol. 1994 Aug;33(8):787-8. PMID: 8055212