Can Yoga Reduce Blood Sugar Levels for People With Type 2 Diabetes?

Key TakeawaysMind-body practices like yoga may help lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new review of studies.The reduction in A1C levels from yoga was significant, only 0.1% behind metformin.Adding mind-body practices to a doctor-prescribed regimen could help some people better manage their condition.

Key Takeaways

Mind-body practices like yoga may help lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new review of studies.The reduction in A1C levels from yoga was significant, only 0.1% behind metformin.Adding mind-body practices to a doctor-prescribed regimen could help some people better manage their condition.

What Is A1C?A1Cmeasures average blood sugar levels over the last three months. An A1C of 6.5% or higher is indicative of diabetes, and keeping levels under 7% is considered good control. Levels of 9% and higher are considered dangerous.

What Is A1C?

A1Cmeasures average blood sugar levels over the last three months. An A1C of 6.5% or higher is indicative of diabetes, and keeping levels under 7% is considered good control. Levels of 9% and higher are considered dangerous.

In addition to yoga, researchers looked at the impact of meditation, qigong, and mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. All led to reductions in blood sugar levels, yielding a cumulative 0.84% reduction in A1C levels.

Theresearchers notedthat a general target for diabetes control is to get A1C levels under 7%, but only about half of people who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes meet this goal. The study results suggest that adding mindfulness practices to an existing medication regimen could help people more effectively manage their condition.

“We expected there to be a benefit, but never anticipated it would be this large,” Sanogo said.

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Why Does This Benefit Exist?

Marisa Gefen, MD, a Philadelphia-based physician who treats patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions at Oak Street Health, told Verywell that the reason mind-body practices may be so beneficial in this population is due to the impact that stress can have on blood sugar.

Can Stress Cause High Blood Sugar?

“When you’re exercising, your body is able to decrease blood sugar because the muscles are utilizing it,” Gefen said. “So the physical practice of something like yoga and Tai chi will lower blood sugar that way, and the mindfulness component will decrease levels of cortisol.”

How long will the benefits last? Gefen said results seem to depend on how diligent a person is about their workout or meditative regimen.

“If you’re doing it once in a blue moon, I think it will benefit you while you’re doing it and a couple hours afterwards,” Gefen said. “If you do it consistently on a regular basis, it provides a more cumulative effect that will benefit you in the long term.”

“Diabetes Doctor”Stephanie Redmond, PharmD, CDE, BC-ADM,wrote in an email to Verywell that in addition to reducing cortisol and blood sugar levels, mindfulness practices may indirectly impact other lifestyle behaviors for the better. This can include helping a person not to overeat, or promoting healthy sleep, she said.

Medication Still Matters

Still, mind-body practices aren’t a replacement for prescription medication, insulin, proper diet, or other doctor-recommended strategies for managing type 2 diabetes.

“It is not ‘instead of’ medication,” Gefen said of practices like yoga. “It’s very important to follow your doctor’s orders and make sure that you’re taking any medication as prescribed. If you [practice yoga] consistently and you do see some blood sugar lowering, there is a possibility your doctor might lower some medication doses over time, but it’s absolutely not ‘instead of’ prescribed modalities for blood-sugar lowering.”

What This Means For YouMind-body practices like yoga could help lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. While it can be a good idea to incorporate these practices into your diabetes management routine, yoga is not a replacement for prescribed medications or other physician-prescribed care.

What This Means For You

Mind-body practices like yoga could help lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. While it can be a good idea to incorporate these practices into your diabetes management routine, yoga is not a replacement for prescribed medications or other physician-prescribed care.

3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sanogo F, Xu K, Cortessis VK, Weigensberg MJ, Watanabe RM.Mind- and body-based interventions improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.J Integr Complement Med. Published online September 7, 2022. doi:10.1089/jicm.2022.0586Dias JP, Joseph JJ, Kluwe B, et al.The longitudinal association of changes in diurnal cortisol features with fasting glucose: MESA.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020;119:104698. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104698Joseph JJ, Golden SH.Cortisol dysregulation: the bidirectional link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2017;1391(1):20-34. doi:10.1111/nyas.13217

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sanogo F, Xu K, Cortessis VK, Weigensberg MJ, Watanabe RM.Mind- and body-based interventions improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.J Integr Complement Med. Published online September 7, 2022. doi:10.1089/jicm.2022.0586Dias JP, Joseph JJ, Kluwe B, et al.The longitudinal association of changes in diurnal cortisol features with fasting glucose: MESA.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020;119:104698. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104698Joseph JJ, Golden SH.Cortisol dysregulation: the bidirectional link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2017;1391(1):20-34. doi:10.1111/nyas.13217

Sanogo F, Xu K, Cortessis VK, Weigensberg MJ, Watanabe RM.Mind- and body-based interventions improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.J Integr Complement Med. Published online September 7, 2022. doi:10.1089/jicm.2022.0586Dias JP, Joseph JJ, Kluwe B, et al.The longitudinal association of changes in diurnal cortisol features with fasting glucose: MESA.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020;119:104698. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104698Joseph JJ, Golden SH.Cortisol dysregulation: the bidirectional link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2017;1391(1):20-34. doi:10.1111/nyas.13217

Dias JP, Joseph JJ, Kluwe B, et al.The longitudinal association of changes in diurnal cortisol features with fasting glucose: MESA.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020;119:104698. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104698

Joseph JJ, Golden SH.Cortisol dysregulation: the bidirectional link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2017;1391(1):20-34. doi:10.1111/nyas.13217

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Key Takeaways#

What Is A1C?#

Live Well With Diabetes#

Why Does This Benefit Exist?#

Medication Still Matters#

What This Means For You#