Yoga Is as Effective at Blood Sugar Control as Common Drug
Incorporating yoga and other mind-body
practices into a medical regimen can help type 2 diabetes patients
manage their blood sugar levels more effectively. A recent study
suggests that yoga reduces A1C levels as well as common diabetes drugs.
The study is a review conducted by the Keck School of Medicine at the
University of California. The aim of the analysis was to establish how
mind-body practices like yoga, meditation, and qigong compare to common
diabetes medications in terms of their ability to promote blood sugar
control.
Among all of the mindfulness practices,
yoga ranked the highest. The reduction of A1C levels in patients
practicing yoga was comparable to that of metformin, the most widespread
diabetes medication, with yoga ranking only 0.1% below metformin.
What role does A1C play in diabetes?
The hemoglobin A1C test is a measurement that shows average blood sugar
levels over the course of the past 3 months. When a person’s A1C levels
are below 5.7%, this is considered normal, whereas 6.5% or higher
indicates diabetes.
For diabetes patients, the aim is to keep A1C levels below 7%, but only
about half of patients manage to reach this goal. As lead author
Fatimata Sanogo stated in a press release about the importance of
additional diabetes interventions, “Type 2 diabetes is a major chronic
health problem and we are not doing a good enough job at controlling
it.”
How was the study conducted?
The metanalysis analyzed the results of 28
studies from 1993 to 2022. Apart from yoga, other mind-body practices
like qigong, meditation, and mindfulness-based stress reduction were
studied. All the mind-body practices had a positive effect on
participants’ blood sugar levels, yielding an average reduction of A1C
of 0.84%.
In the study, participants who practiced yoga lowered their A1C levels
by 1%. While this may seem minor, a typical diabetes medication like
metformin lowers A1C levels by 1.1%. Therefore, a decrease of one
percent is rather significant.
Overall, the study suggests that incorporating any type of mindfulness
practice, especially yoga, into a person’s daily regimen can make a
world of a difference in managing their blood sugar levels more
effectively. The authors stress that mind-body practices are not a
replacement for treatments prescribed by a doctor, such as medications,
including insulin, and dietary restrictions.
Why are mind-body practices beneficial for diabetes?
Believe it or not, yoga and other
mindfulness practices attack diabetes in several ways.
First and foremost, any mindfulness practice has a profound
stress-reducing effect that can have a beneficial influence on blood
sugar. The science behind the stress-blood sugar loop is solid: stress
leads to the release of the stress hormone cortisol from the adrenal
glands, which can then increase blood sugar levels. Yoga and mindfulness
meditation can bring those cortisol levels down to normal levels, and
this, in turn, can lower blood sugar levels.
Another way in which yoga can benefit diabetes is by utilizing excess
blood sugar by exercising. As you practice yoga or Tai chi, your muscles
will utilize the excess sugar, thereby lowering blood sugar levels.
This may be why a more physically active practice like yoga had a
greater benefit than strictly stress-reducing mindfulness approaches in
the study.
The Takeaway
Mindfulness practices like yoga and
meditation can reduce blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients.
If you suffer from this condition or have a higher risk of developing
it, consider adding yoga to your daily regimen. Remember that you will
experience the greatest benefits if you practice regularly and
consistently.
In my next post, you can view 10 beginner poses of yoga to fight diabetes