Effect of Six Months Yoga Intervention on Metabolic Profile and Carotid Intima Media Thickness in Prediabetes

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes, the most common endocrine disorder, is projected to show a worldwide increase from 366 million people in the year 2011 to 552 million in the year 2030, out of which around 101 million is expected to be contributed by India. Moreover, the disease manifestations start in the early stages of diabetes and before it gets established as a full blown condition in the pre-stage called prediabetes. Aim: To highlight the importance of yoga intervention on metabolic profile and Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) in prediabetic subjects and implement it as a therapy for primary prevention of diabetes. Materials and Methods: This interventional study was done among adults aged 31-50 years in RUHS College of Medical Sciences and Associated Rukmani Devi Beni Prasad Jaipuria Hospital in Jaipur City, Rajasthan, India. A total of 250 prediabetic subjects were recruited from Jaipuria Hospital. These were divided into two groups, Study group (Group A, n=125) were engaged in yoga session and Control group (Group B, n=125) did not perform any yoga session. Written informed consent was taken from the participants in the local language. Study was conducted over a period of six months from July to December 2018. Statistical analysis was done by student’s paired t-test for intragroup comparison before applying this test the Smirnov-Kolmogorov test was conducted to confirm the normality of each parameter. Results: Yoga intervention resulted in a significant decline in blood glucose (p<0.0001), Glycated haemoglobin (p<0.01), lipid profile Cholesterol (p<0.01), Triglyceride (p<0.01), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) (p<0.01), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) (p-value >0.05) and Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) (p-value >0.05), CIMT (p-value <0.05) relative to the control group. Conclusion: Yoga intervention was found to be helpful in control of metabolic profile and CIMT in prediabetes subjects. This preliminary study indicates that a yoga intervention would be a possible risk reduction option for adults at high risk for type 2 diabetes. In addition, yoga holds promise as an approach in reducing cardiometabolic risk factors, atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular (CV) events.