Studies show yoga can control diabetes

INDIA – A person with diabetes can control the fluctuation in his or her blood sugar level by performing yoga, a university professor here said yesterday.

Romesh Mavathur, professor and chief of Molecular and Biology Department of the S-VYASA University, said one of his colleagues was able to show that a person performing yoga could control his or her diabetes.

“It is not the elevated blood sugar level, it is the fluctuation in the blood sugar level. So with yoga, a study shows that the fluctuation was almost minimized by 80 percent,” he added.

Mavathur said other studies have shown that yoga was able to bring about the balance in a person’s life.

“That kind of balance we call as homeostasis or the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes. We wanted to check if it is really true,” he said.

Mavathur said one of the studies showed that out of 24 people, 22 in a yoga group had values within the homeostasis range compared to a control group with only 54 percent. 

Meanwhile, regional director of the Tourism Ministry of Bangaluru Sanjay Srivatsay urged persons to practice yoga.

“Good food or diet, sleep and ability to control your stress… If you have the ability to do all three things you will have the same benefits as the person doing yoga,” Mavathur said.

In 2014, reports showed that diabetes is a growing global health crisis that has reached epidemic proportions. There are 382 million people living with diabetes or 8.3 percent of the world’s total adult population.

The Philippines is among the top 15 countries with the highest prevalence of Type 2 diabetes. It happens when blood sugar levels rise due to problems with the use or production of insulin.

Mavathur met with about 50 foreign delegates from different countries, including the Philippines, who participated in the 5th International Day of Yoga in Bangaluru, Karnataka last Friday.

The STAR was the only publication from the Philippines that was invited.

S-VYASA is a university and registered charitable institution since 1986 working to make yoga socially relevant.