Abstract
Objectives: For years, exercise has been considered a cornerstone of diabetes management, along with diet and medication. Growing evidence supports the beneficial effects of yoga in physical and mental health through down regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The purpose of this article is to provide a scholarly review of the literature of research studies comparing the effects of yoga and exercise in diabetes patients. Methods: This review focuses on published research articles indexed in the PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Science Direct and Scopus. Search criteria included research articles written in English with the key words “yoga”, “diabetes mellitus (DM)”, “Type 1 DM”, “Type 2 DM”, “Exercise”. Only clinical or human studies published in English language were included. Exclusion criteria included articles that were not written in English. Conclusion: Exercise can improve glucose uptake by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing body adiposity in both patients of type 1 and type 2 DM. Yoga is an ancient discipline designed to bring balance and health to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the individual. Yoga may be an attractive alternate to traditional aerobic exercises and strength training program, as it requires only a little space and needs no equipment and literally devoid of side effects, mainly focusing on relaxation of mind and body. It provides a less strenuous and more pleasurable exercise experience to an individual. Yoga can help the person feel better, both improving the physical fitness and elevating the mood. Numerous studies have shown positive benefits of yoga in the management of diabetes with good impact on glycemic control , lipid profile and cardiovascular status. Further it can alleviate stress. Yoga can be considered as a good alternate for exercise therapy.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic progressive metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia mainly due to absolute (Type 1 DM) or relative (Type 2 DM) deficiency of insulin hormone [1]
Control group nerve function parameters deteriorated over the period of study, indicating that diabetes is a slowly progressive disease involving the nerves
Yoga asanas have a beneficial effect on glycaemic control and improve nerve function in mild to moderate Type 2 diabetes with sub-clinical neuropathy
Summary
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic progressive metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia mainly due to absolute (Type 1 DM) or relative (Type 2 DM) deficiency of insulin hormone [1]. In 2014, around 387 million people had diabetes with a prevalence of 8.3%; by 2035 this will rise to 592 million. North America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest prevalence of 11% having 37 million people with diabetes followed by the Middle East and North Africa with a prevalence of 9.2% having 35 million people with diabetes. Western Pacific is the region with higher number of people living with diabetes (138 million); its prevalence is 8.6%, close to the prevalence of the World. The number of people with type 2 diabetes is increasing in every country.77% of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries.179 million people with diabetes are undiagnosed. Primary prevention of diabetes by life style modification is a feasible solution to arrest the rising epidemic of the disease. Government and non-government organizations should create awareness about the disease among public and teach them way to self-care and benefits of lifestyle modification
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