Sat Bir S. Khalsa.
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
khalsa@hms.harvard.edu

Click Play button to Play Audio
(Please wait as the audio loads)

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is a disorder that is becoming increasingly prevalent and is rapidly becoming a major concern for the healthcare system. Prior studies have suggested that psychological factors such as stress and impaired mood contribute to the severity of type 2 diabetes. Recent research suggests that relaxation treatments and stress management may effectively manage blood glucose in this disorder. Therefore, mind-body practices, especially the yoga techniques (meditation, breathing and physical postures/exercises) that combine both somative and cognitive components and are known to be especially effective in their ability to manage stress and mood, may be ideally suited to improving the management of type 2 diabetes.

There are a number of possible direct and indirect mechanisms by which yoga may mediate improvements in glucose regulation in diabetes:
1) direct action on the organs and cellular mechanisms and activities central to glucose regulation;
2) indirect action through modification of stress at the level of the limbic system and then ultimately on the hypothalamic pituitary axis and the autonomic nervous system;
3) improvement in mood and affect;
4) enhancement of mind/body awareness which can lead to improved self-efficacy and adherence to diabetes management recommendations;
5) greater physical fitness and activity that may be associated with improved weight loss. Over 2 dozen studies have been published providing evidence for the efficacy of yoga for the treatment of diabetes in outcomes measuring glucose levels, glycated hemoglobin, insulin resistance, stress and mood. Although the quality of many of these studies is questionable, there is still a strong suggestion from this body of research that yoga has much to offer as an adjunct therapy for diabetes.