A new study has revealed that practicing yoga for as little as three months can reduce fatigue and lower inflammation in breast cancer patients.

At the six-month point of the study- three months after the formal yoga practice had ended- results showed that on average, fatigue was 57 percent lower in women who had practiced yoga compared to the non-yoga group, and their inflammation was reduced by up to 20 percent.

The participants had completed all breast cancer treatments before the start of the study and only yoga novices were recruited for the randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Participants practiced yoga in small groups twice a week for 12 weeks. Women making up the control group were wait-listed to receive the same yoga sessions once the trial was over. During the study, they were instructed to go about their normal routines and not to do yoga.

Lead author Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology at The Ohio State University said the study that modest yoga practice over a period of several months could have substantial benefits for breast cancer survivors.

The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.