Yoga Beneficial for Diabetes

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If you are diabetes, you might like join a yoga class.  

A new study published in Diabetes Care reported that gentle yoga classes may help people with type 2 diabetes to reduce weight and to improve their glycemic control. 

The study, involving 123 middle-aged and older diabetic patients, found that those who added yoga classes to standard diabetes care experienced a mild reduction in their body mass index (reduced by 0.4) in three months and was able to maintain their blood glucose level. 

The yoga used in this study, however, was a gentle form, and parts of the practice were adapted for people who had additional health problems.  For example, certain poses were avoided in people who had heart disease. 

In the real world, yoga classes vary widely. Some are vigorous work-outs involving complicated poses that would not be appropriate for older adults with chronic health conditions. 

If you are an older adult with diabetes and would like to take a yoga class, look for those yoga classes that are designed specifically for older people with chronic medical conditions. 

SOURCE: Diabetes Care 2011. 

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