Senthil Raj Thangasami, Arati Lal Chandani and Thangasami S
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.