Practicing Yoga Postures May Help Diabetics
Research in India Shows Promising Results
Many
yoga experts believe that yoga postures may have a beneficial
effect on diabetes. Recent research in India appears to support
this concept, including results from the studies listed below.
- In a New Delhi
study of 149 non-insulin-dependent
diabetics (NIDDM), sixty-nine percent of the respondents
showed a fair to good response to yoga therapy. The study
authors concluded that yoga was a simple and economical
therapy useful for non-insulin dependent diabetics. 1
- In another study
from New
Delhi on diabetes, researchers tried to find out if yoga
asanas (postures) could help diabetes by releasing insulin
from the pancreas. Twenty healthy young volunteers were
given four sets of yoga postures to perform. The asanas
given were:
1) Dhanurasana (bow pose)
Matsyendrasana (seated
twist)
2) Halasana (plow pose)
Vajrasana (thunderbolt
pose)
3) Naukasana (boat pose)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
4) Setubandhasana (bridge pose)
Pavanamuktasana (wind relieving pose)
Each volunteer performed the above sets in random order
for five days with a two day interval between consecutive
sets of asanas. Based on blood test results, the authors
found that performance of yoga postures led to improved
"sensitivity of the b-Cells of the pancreas to the
glucose signal." They concluded that this improvement
in insulin sensitivity was due to the cumulative effect
of the volunteers performing the postures. 2
- In a 2005 study,
20 patients with type 2 diabetes were put on a 40 day yoga
routine taught by an expert yoga teacher. The postures performed
were:
- Surya Namaskar
(sun salutation)
- Trikonasana
(triangle pose)
- Tadasana
(mountain pose)
- Sukhasana
(easy pose)
- Padmasana
(lotus pose)
- Bhastrika
Pranayama (breathing exercise)
- Pashimottanasana
(posterior
stretch)
- Ardhmatsyendrasana
(half spinal twist)
- Pawanmuktasana
(joint
freeing series)
- Bhujangasana
(cobra pose)
- Vajrasana
(thunderbolt pose)
- Dhanurasana
(bow pose)
- Shavasana
(corpse pose)
At the end of the 40 days of of performing the asanas, on
average the study participants had a decrease in fasting
glucose levels, a significant decrease in waist-hip ratio
and beneficial changes in insulin levels. 3
In general, exercise
is a well established treatment for diabetes. It helps lower
blood sugar levels and is important for weight management.
Exercise is also an important natural treatment for heart
disease, a common condition that occurs along with diabetes.
If the results of the studies noted above are correct, then
performing yoga postures as part of a regular exercise routine
may further help diabetics to increase insulin sensitivity
and attain normal glucose metabolism.
Related Page:
Asanas
for Hypothyroidism
References:
1.
Jain SC, Uppal A, Bhatnagar SO, & Talukdar B,. "A study
of response pattern of non-insulin dependent diabetics to
yoga therapy." Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, Jan:19(1)(1993):
69-74
2.
Manjunatha S, Vempati RP, Ghosh D, Bijlani RL, "An investigation
into the acute and long-term effects of selected yogic postures
on fasting and postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in healthy
young subjects." Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology,
2005 Jul-Sep;49(3):319-24
3.
Malhotra V, Singh S, Tandon OP, Sharma SB, "The beneficial
effect of yoga in diabetes." Nepal Medical College Journal,
2005 Dec;7(2):145-7
For
Further Reading:
3.
Stukin, Stacie, "Dealing
with Diabetes", Yoga Journal, Web Site: http://www.yogajournal.com/health/563.cfm
4.
Diabetes and Exercise, from the FamilyDoctor.org web site,
http://familydoctor.org/351.xml
Disclaimer:
The yoga poses and alternative health treatments presented
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medical advice. Not all of the the yoga poses illustrated
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individuals with existing medical concerns. Consult your physician
before beginning any yoga or other new exercise program, especially
if you have any health concerns such as pregnancy, detached
retina, glaucoma, back or neck pain, high blood pressure,
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