Numerous studies have documented yoga’s ability to lower the levels of blood fats, including LDL (the so-called bad cholesterol) and triglycerides, which are associated with many health problems including heart attacks and pancreatitis. A number of different mechanisms may be at work. Yoga’s well-known ability to act as an antidote to stress, for one, may help reverse stress’s tendency to boost cholesterol levels and worsen the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). The weight loss and conditioning that mark regular yoga practice tend to drop triglyceride levels and boost HDL, high levels of which protect against heart attacks by acting as a fat scavenger within the bloodstream. (source: Timothy McCall, M.D.)
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