Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry logoLink to Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry
. 2001 Jul;16(2):216–220. doi: 10.1007/BF02864866

A preliminary report on the role of yoga asanas on oxidative stress in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

Savita Singh 1,✉, Varun Malhotra 1, K P Singh 1, S B Sharma 2, S V Madhu 1, O P Tandon 1
PMCID: PMC3453632  PMID: 23105323

Abstract

Nineteen subjects of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) between the age group of 30–60 yrs were studied to see the effect of specific yoga asanas on fasting and postprandial blood glucose (FBG, PPG), serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) in addition to drug treatment and diet control. The duration of diabetes ranged from 1–10 years. Patients with renal, cardiac and proliferative retinal diseases were excluded from the study. The same patients served as their own control. Subjects were called in the morning to the cardio-respiratory laboratory and were given training by a yoga expert. Yoga asanas included Suryanamskar, Tadasan, TriKonasan, Padmasan, Pranayam, Paschimottanasan, Ardhmatsyendrasan, Pavanmukthasan, Sarpasan and Shavasan. The asanas were done every day for 40 days for 30–40 min. FBG, PPG, serum MDA and HbA1 were estimated before and after 40 days of yoga asanas regimen. Significant reduction was seen in FBG from 220 mg/dl to 162 mg/dl, PPG from 311 mg/dl to 255 mg/dl, MDA from 6 nmol/l to 3 nmol/l and HbA1, from 8.8% to 6.4%. Subjects felt better and were relieved of their stresses and had an improvement in their day to day performance. The decrease was statistically significant (p<0.0001 for FBG and PPG, p<0.001 for MDA and for HbA1).

Key words: Blood glucose, malondialdehyde, hyperglycaemia, yoga asanas, non-insulin dependent diabetics (NIDDM)

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (354.6 KB).

References

  • 1.Halliwell B. Free radicals, antioxidants and human disease: curiosity, cause or consequence. Lancet. 1994;344:721–723. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(94)92211-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Jain S.K. Should high-dose vitamin E supplementation be recommended to diabetic patients? Diabetes Care. 1999;22(8):1242–1244. doi: 10.2337/diacare.22.8.1242. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Jain, S.K. (1996) The effect of modest vitamin E supplementation on lipid peroxidation products and other cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic patients. Lipids, Suppl. S87–90. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 4.Scarpetini F., Sbracia M., Scarpellini L. Psychological stress in lipid peroxidation in miscarriage. Ann. N.Y Acad. Sci. 1994;709:210–213. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1994.tb30404.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Santos T.M., Valles J., Aznar J. CRC Handbook of free radicals and antioxidants in biomedicine. U.K.: Lockwell Wood; 1988. Plasma lipid peroxides in patients with vascular disease and in middle aged normal subjects with high risk of atherosclerosis; pp. 232–254. [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Javad J.N., Sarmadi T., Mc Carthy S., Bellerridge D.J., Wolff S.P. Elevated levels of authentic plasma hydroperoxides in NIDDM. Diabetes. 1995;44:1054–1058. doi: 10.2337/diab.44.9.1054. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Maxwell R.J. Prospects for the use of antioxidants therapies. Drugs. 1995;47:902–906. doi: 10.2165/00003495-199549030-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Alessio H.M. Exercise induced oxidative stress. Med. Sci. Sports Exercise. 1993;25(2):218–222. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Seman C.K.H., Slater T.F. Free Radicals in Medicine. Brit. Med. Bull. 1993;4(3):424–729. [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Jain S.C., Uppal A, Bhatnagar S.O.D., Talukdar B. A study of responses pattern of noninsulin dependent diabetics to yoga therapy. Diabetes Res. Clin. Practice. 1993;19:69–74. doi: 10.1016/0168-8227(93)90146-v. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Dang, K.K. (1999) Yoga and meditation for Health. In: Medicine Update. Ed. M.M. Singh Proc. conf. The Association of Physicians of India, New Delhi, Vol. 9, Part 1, Chap. 57, p. 502–506. Sahay, B.K. (1999) yoga meditation idem. chap. 58, p. 507–513.
  • 12.Trinder P. Determination of glucose in blood using glucose oxidase with an alternative oxygen receptor. Ann. Clin. Biochem. 1969;6:24–24. [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Satoh K. Serum lipid peroxide in cerebrovascular disorders determined by a new colorometric method. Clinical Chem. Acta. 1979;90:37–40. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(78)90081-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Swamy Vyas Dev Ji (1970) First Steps to Higher Yoga. Translated by Bala-Brahmachari Ram Pyari Shastri. Yoga Niketan Trust, Gangotri, (Rishikesh) India, The Raisana Printery, p. 59–281.
  • 15.Sen C.K., Hanninen O. Physiological antioxidants. In: Sen C.K., Palker L., Hanninen O., editors. Exercise and oxygen toxicity. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science; 1994. pp. 89–216. [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Holley A.E., Cheeseman K.H. Measuring free radical reactions invivo. Brit. Med. Bull. 1993;49:494–505. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a072626. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Metz S.A. Altered arachodonic acid synthesis and lipid peroxidation in diabetes mellitus: Possible roles in leukocyte dysfunction and other cellular defects. Med. Hypothesis. 1983;12:341–357. doi: 10.1016/0306-9877(83)90106-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Collier A., Rumley A.G. Free radical activity and haemostatic factors in NIDDM patients with or without microalbuminuria. Diabetes. 1992;4:909–913. doi: 10.2337/diab.41.8.909. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Babiy A.V., Gebicki J.M., Sullivan D.R., Willey K. Increased oxidisability of plasma lipoproteins in diabetic patients can be decreased by probucol therapy and is not due to glycation. Biochem. Pharmacol. 1992;43:995–1000. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(92)90604-h. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Wolff S.P. The potential role of oxidative stress in diabetes and its complications, Novel implications for theory and therapy. In: Crabble M.J.C., editor. Diabetic Complications: Scientific and Clinical aspects. Edinburg, U.K.: Churchill Livingstone; 1987. pp. 167–200. [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Cross C.E., Halliwall B., Borish E.T., Pryor W.A., Ames B.B., Saul R.L., Mc Cord J.M., Harman D. Oxygen radicals and human disease. Ann. Intern. Med. 1987;107:526–545. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-107-4-526. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Nishigaki I., Hagihara M., Tsunekaw H., Maseki M., Yagi K. Lipid peroxides level of serum lipoprotein fractions of diabetic patients. Biochem. Med. 1981;25:373–378. doi: 10.1016/0006-2944(81)90096-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Jain S.C., Talukdar B.Role of yoga in control of hyperglycaemia in middle aged patients of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus Ind. J. Clin. Biochem. 199510262–65.10.1007/BF02871003 [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Schneider R.H., Nidich S.I., Salerno J.W., Sharma H.M., Robinson L.E., Nidich R.J., Alexander C.N. Lower Lipid peroxide level in practitioners of Transcendental programme. Psychosomatic Medicine. 1998;60:38–41. doi: 10.1097/00006842-199801000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Jain S.K., Kreuger K.S., McVie R., Jaramillo J.J., Palmer, M. Smith T. Relationship of blood thromboxane-B2 (TxB2) with lipid peroxides and effect of vitamin E and placebo supplementation on TxB2 and lipid peroxide levels in type 1 diabetic patients. Diabetes Care. 1998;21(9):1511–1516. doi: 10.2337/diacare.21.9.1511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Sahay B.K., Murthy K.J.R. Long term follow up studies on effect of yoga in diabetes. Diab. Res. Clin. Pract. 1988;5(suppl. 1):655–655. [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Sahay B.K. Proceedings of Noro Nordisk diabetes update. Bombay, India: Ed. Anil Kapur Health Care Communication; 1994. Yoga and Diabetes; pp. 159–167. [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Rugmini, P.S. and Sinha, R.N. (1976) The effect of Yoga therapy in Diabetes Mellitus. Seminar on Yoga, Man and Science, Yoga Research Hospital, Vishwayatan Yogashram, New Delhi, India. p. 175–189.

Articles from Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES