Effect of a Residential Integrated Yoga Program on Blood Glucose Levels, Physiological Variables, and Anti-Diabetic Medication Score of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Study

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. Yoga is a form of mind-body intervention shown to have a positive impact on several health conditions in both healthy and diseased patients. The present study is intended to assess the effects of the Residential Integrated Yoga Program (RIYP) on blood glucose levels in patients with T2DM. Material and Methods: Data of 598 (186 females) T2DM patients from a holistic health center in Bengaluru, India, who attended a 15-day RIYP between January 2013 and December 2015 was obtained retrospectively. Average age of the participants was 56.45 ± 11.02 years. All subjects underwent a 15-day RIYP which involved yoga-based lifestyle changes with components of regulated sleep, balanced diet, asanas, pranayama, relaxation techniques, meditations, yogic cleaning procedures, and tuning to the nature. Fasting and post-prandial blood sugar, medication score, symptom score, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate were assessed before and after intervention. Result: There was a significant decrease in fasting (p < 0.001) and post-prandial blood sugar levels (p < 0.001) along with a significant reduction in medication and symptom scores after 15 days of RIYP compared to baseline. Conclusion: The present study indicates that 2 weeks of a yoga-based residential program improves blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and medication score in patients with T2DM. However, further randomized controlled studies need to be performed in order to confirm the present findings.