If you practice yoga, meditation, or another mindfulness practice, you may be helping your body to manage its blood sugar level. If you don’t, it might be worth starting.
New research has found that mindfulness activities may help people with Type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar levels. The effects of these activities may be substantial, too. The research has shown that doing these activities worked almost as well as standard treatments such as taking the medication metformin.
It’s important to note that these practices are best used in addition to standard diabetes treatment and not as a replacement. In any event, mindfulness activities are worth a try.
More than 37 million people have diabetes, with the vast majority having Type 2. The condition develops when the body loses its ability to process insulin, a hormone that carries sugar from food into the body’s cells for energy.
When that happens, sugar builds up in the bloodstream, damaging blood vessels and nerves over time. Many people with diabetes also develop complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage in the feet and legs, and potential blindness.
Controlling blood sugar levels through a healthy diet high in whole foods and low in processed foods can minimize those risks.
Researchers looked at 28 published clinical trials that tested various practices. Most focused on yoga, which combines physical postures with breathing techniques and meditation. Other trials looked at qigong, guided imagery, meditation, or mindfulness-based stress reduction.
They found that each practice helped people with Type 2 diabetes lower their hemoglobin A1c level—a measure of average blood sugar levels over the previous three months.
In general, people with the disease should keep their A1c level below 7 percent. During the trials, on average, mind-body practices lowered participants’ A1c levels by about 0.8 percent. That’s very close to what metformin does, which cuts A1c levels by about 1 percent.
Mindfulness may help because it can reduce stress, making diabetes easier to manage. A dip in stress hormones may also help to reduce systemic inflammation, which may help to bring down blood sugar levels. Stress can also trigger poor eating habits.
If you’re treating diabetes or are interested in blood sugar management, yoga, qigong, or other forms of meditation may help.