MECHANISM OF BENEFITS AND EVIDENCE FROM CLINICAL TRIALS
Various lifestyle disorders, including diabetes, can be effectively addressed by the practice of yoga, given acceptably high levels of adherence. Yoga practice improves an individual’s discipline regarding food and exercise, thereby helping to modify patient-related reluctance that results in the underutilization of exercise as a treatment modality.
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that adversely affects one’s quality of life. Psychological stress and negative mood have a bidirectional effect on the control of diabetes. Yoga effectively reduces stress, thereby helping diabetes control. Yoga practice in healthy volunteers resulted in increased wellness; reductions in stress, depression, and anxiety; improvements in the physical, psychological, and social domains and total quality of life; a feeling of balance; and a new outlook on life. Yoga practice significantly improves the scores of various psychological assessments, including satisfaction impact and worry. Yoga also improves physical exercise, behavioral changes, and dietary practices, as well as its effects on relaxation and stress management.
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease that adversely affects one’s quality of life. Psychological stress and negative mood have a bidirectional effect on the control of diabetes. Yoga effectively reduces stress, thereby helping diabetes control. Yoga practice in healthy volunteers was found to result in increases in wellness
Abdominal stretching during yoga exercises is believed to regenerate pancreatic cells. The various postures during yoga practice help improve the sensitivity of β-cells to glucose, thereby improving insulin secretion. They also increase the blood supply to the muscle and muscle relaxation, thereby improving glucose uptake. Improvements in hormonal homeostasis also improve glycemic control in people with diabetes mellitus. Yoga therapy also results in immunomodulation by reducing proinflammatory responses and improving immune function.
Yoga asana also modulates gene expression and increases muscle activity, strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance, positively affecting body weight, adiposity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance.
Reference:
Raveendran AV, Deshpandae A, Joshi SR. Therapeutic Role of Yoga in Type 2 Diabetes. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018 Sep;33(3):307-317. doi: 10.3803/EnM.2018.33.3.307. Epub 2018 Aug 14. PMID: 30112866; PMCID: PMC6145966.
