Work

The impact of three months of adjuvant yoga intervention on glycemic control among adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a randomized control trial

Year: 2025

Type: article

Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial

Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that shows the benefits of yoga on people with diabetes. The benefit of yoga for people with Type 2 Diabetes has been proven. Incorporating yoga in daily life helps to attain glycaemic control and reduces the risk of complications in people with diabetes especially in the Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) field. However, limited work is done for yoga on Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM). The current trial aimed to investigate the effect of yoga intervention on glycemic control and Quality of Life (QoL) among adolescents with T1DM. METHODS: In this trial, 92 T1DM subjects with mean age of 13.35 ± 2.41 years were recruited and randomly allocated to either yoga or control arm with an allocation ratio of 1:1. The control arm received standard care whereas; the yoga arm received additional tailored yoga sessions for three months. Venous blood samples were collected for HbA1c and average blood glucose (ABG) along with daily insulin requirements, PedsQL-3.0, PedsQL-4.0, Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale, Fear of hypoglycaemia questionnaire at baseline and post-intervention. Both per-protocol and Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis were done. RESULTS: Out of 92 participants recruited, only 46 could complete the trial (yoga arm: n = 25). The per-protocol analysis showed a significant reduction in the HbA1c levels (14.68% vs. -12.90%;p < 0.001) as well as in the ABG levels (17.72% vs. -15.65%;p < 0.001) in the intervention arm when compared to the control arm. An ITT analysis of the primary objectives also yielded similar results. Further, Insulin requirements (p = 0.04) and hyperglycaemia frequency (p = 0.02) were significantly reduced in the yoga arm however, it lacked significance in between-group analysis. Fear of hypoglycaemia was reduced by 23.9% in the intervention group while it was 3% in the control group which was significant. Significant improvement in QoL, depression, and level of physical activity were observed following yoga intervention compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The three-month adjuvant yoga intervention was associated with an improved glycaemic control and QoL among adolescents with T1DM.

Source: Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome

DOI: 10.1186/s13098-025-01632-9