| Researchers affiliated with the School of Nursing at | | | | The objective of the study was not to do poses |
| the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United | | | | beautifully. If a participant in the study had trouble |
| States have made significant progress in the war | | | | standing on one leg, for example, he or she was |
| against Type 2 diabetes. Yoga, the researchers have | | | | allowed to lean against the wall. If a participant could |
| found, may stop the progression of metabolic | | | | not coil into a cobra shape, he or she might lean to one |
| syndrome to full-blown Type 2 diabetes, and the | | | | side or the other... imitating a windmill. The objective of |
| disease may be turned around in as little as three | | | | the study was simply to see if there were real |
| months. | | | | benefits to regular full-body exercise. And there |
| Researchers have known for many years that taking | | | | certainly were. |
| a "yoga vacation", practicing yoga for 3 or 4 hours a | | | | First of all, the participants in the yoga group agreed |
| day for a week, often lowers blood sugar levels and | | | | that they enjoyed the program. Gentle, slow exercise |
| blood pressure in Type 2 diabetics. Most people, | | | | left them feeling more flexible, better balanced, more |
| however, cannot afford to take a week off to | | | | relaxed, and more capable to meeting physical |
| practice yoga. And people who have the metabolic | | | | challenges. In their blood workups, three months of |
| syndrome, which could be described as not-yet Type | | | | yoga practice resulted in: |
| 2 diabetes, are not likely to be motivated to work out | | | | - no change in blood sugar levels but drastic reduction |
| intensely to prevent a future disease. | | | | in blood insulin levels. This indicates that insulin |
| Still, it was the not-yet diabetics the Pittsburgh | | | | resistance was being reversed and progress of the |
| researchers wanted to help. They eventually recruited | | | | metabolic syndrome to Type 2 diabetes was being |
| 23 volunteers between the ages of 45 and 65, both | | | | reversed |
| men and women, who had a family history of Type 2 | | | | - slight reduction in weight but significant reduction in |
| diabetes and a history of getting less than 30 minutes | | | | total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides |
| of daily exercise. Additionally, each volunteer in the | | | | The other group was simply given a weekly lecture. |
| study had at least one of the following signs of | | | | Their numbers were essentially unchanged. |
| metabolic syndrome: | | | | The lesson of this study is that it isn't necessary to do |
| - "borderline" high blood sugar... fasting blood sugar | | | | yoga well to benefit from it a great deal. In fact, the |
| levels over 110mg/dL but under 125mg/dL (over | | | | study found it wasn't even necessary to do yoga at |
| 6.1mmol/L but under 6.9mmol/L) | | | | every opportunity. Volunteers in the yoga group had |
| - "borderline" high blood pressure (130-140/80-90mmHg) | | | | attendance rates of 58 to 100 per cent, but the 58 per |
| - obesity (BMI over 25 but under 45), or | | | | cent attendee also benefited. Just trying to do yoga |
| - high cholesterol (total cholesterol over 200mg/dl) | | | | may be of tremendous benefit in preventing Type 2 |
| The researchers then set out to persuade half of | | | | diabetes. |
| these volunteers to learn how to do yoga. | | | | |