Recent research has found yet another entry to add to yoga's long list of attributes. In addition to increased flexibility, strength, and peace of mind, the ancient practice has now been linked to a significant and all-encompassing improvement in cancer patients' quality of life.

Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have found a connection between a regular yoga practice and cancer patients' overall sense of health and wellbeing. The study is one of the first to be held in the U.S. — yoga is extensively studied in India, but American scientists are just beginning to officially examine its benefits. The results revealed that breast cancer patients who practiced yoga were more equipped to handle everyday tasks like lifting groceries and were also able to sleep better than those who didn't practice yoga.

"It was gratifying to see that we could make a clinically significant difference in the quality of life of these women," said Lorenzo Cohen, director of M.D. Anderson's Integrative Medicine Program. "This shows yoga can ameliorate the treatment-related side effects that accumulate in cancer patients over time."

[via Houston Chronicle]

Image: Yoga.com