Comparative evaluation of salivary antioxidant levels in yoga practitioners and non-practitioners: A biochemical study

Abstract

Oxidative stress, resulting from an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defence mechanisms, contributes to the pathogenesis of several systemic and oral diseases, while yoga has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological intervention to improve oxidative balance. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the salivary antioxidant levels in 60 healthy adults (20–40 years), including 30 regular yoga practitioners and 30 age-matched non-practitioners, using unstimulated saliva samples analysed for Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Uric Acid, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase through standard spectrophotometric assays. Statistical analysis using an independent sample t-test showed significantly higher levels of all antioxidant parameters among yoga practitioners compared with non-practitioners (p < 0.001). Thus, data shows that regular yoga practice is associated with enhanced salivary antioxidant activity and reduced oxidative stress.