Issue 35 September 2011
4. Yoga effective for Diabetes

     Yoga may help people with type 2 diabetes take off a small amount of weight and steady their blood sugar control. The study, of 123 middle-aged and older adults, found that those who added yoga  classes to standard diabetes care shed a handful of pounds over three months. Meanwhile, their average blood sugar levels held steady -- in contrast to the non-yoga-practicing "control" group, whose blood sugar levels rose.

     The findings do not suggest that yoga should replace other forms of exercise for people with type 2 diabetes which is commonly associated with obesity. Shreelaxmi V. Hegde of the Srinivas Institute of Medical Science and Research Center in Mangalore, India stated that, to really lose weight and rein in blood sugar, more-vigorous exercise would work better. Among the 60 study participants who took yoga classes several times a week, the average BMI -- declined from 25.9 to 25.4. A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight. Hegde, the lead researcher on the work mentioned that, "In our study the effect of yoga on BMI (body mass index) and blood sugar control was marginal." "But," she added, "it should be noted that yoga controlled the blood sugar levels which otherwise rose in the control group." In addition to that, the study found, signs of so-called oxidative stress declined in the yoga group.
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