Type 2 diabetes mellitus, physical activity, yoga and telomere length: A literature review

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic metabolic disease prevalent in adults, is also prevalent amongst children, adolescents and young adults. On understanding the molecular basis of diabetes, a significant association is found between telomere length (TL) and type 2 DM.Aim: The aim of the study was to review the available evidence on effect of physical activity and yoga on DM including their effect on TL.Setting: The study was conducted in Bangalore.Method: A number of databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed and Cochrane Review were searched for relevant articles using keywords such as ’diabetes’, ‘type 2 DM’, ‘physical activity’, ‘yoga’, ‘TL’ and ‘telomerase activity’. All types of articles were included for the study, such as randomised controlled trial, systematic reviews, literature review and pilot study. Non-English articles were excluded from the study.Results: Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of yoga and physical exercise in type 2 DM in various ways, such as reducing fasting blood glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin; improving lipid profile, blood pressure and waist-to-hip ratio; reducing inflammatory, oxidative and psychological stress markers; and improving the quality of life of patients. However, limited information is available on the effect of these interventions on TL in type 2 DM and mechanisms involved.Conclusion: Recent studies have shown positive effects of yoga and physical activity on TL. However, there is a dearth of good-quality studies evaluating the effects of yoga on TL in type 2 DM. Future studies need to be conducted with standard treatment protocols, long-term follow-up, appropriate control groups and large sample size.

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and relationship with socioeconomic status in the Indonesian population

“…In contrast, previous studies have shown that controlling the consumption of fatty foods tends to reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus (42,43). The benefits of physical activity for diabetes mellitus have been reported in previous studies in both developed and developing countries (44)(45)(46). Physical activity can help reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics.…”

The Effectiveness of Yoga Exercise to Reduce Blood Sugar Levels in Diabetes Mellitus Sufferers

“…Yoga if practiced regularly and controlled can promote improvements in several indices that are very important in the management of DM2, including glycemic control, lipid levels, and body composition. Yoga can also lower oxidative stress and blood pressure, improve lung and nervous system function, improve mood, sleep, and quality of life, and reduce drug use in adults with DM2 (Ughreja & Ughreja, 2019). Doing yoga can reduce anxiety and as an adjunct therapy by type 2 diabetics to reduce long-term complications but must be done with the right duration to practice yoga the previous state must be relaxed because if the intervention is done Irregular eating allows no effect on glycemic control or other cardiovascular risks (Singh & Khandelwal, 2020).…”