Effect of community-based yoga intervention on oxidative stress and glycemic parameters in prediabetes: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To study the effectiveness of yoga intervention on oxidative stress, glycemic status, blood pressure and anthropometry in prediabetes.

Design: Randomized-controlled trial.

Participants: Twenty nine prediabetes subjects aged 30-75 years.

Setting: Yoga was conducted at 4 different community diabetes clinics in Mangalore, India.

Interventions: Participants were randomized to either 3-month yoga or wait-list control groups.

Main Outcome Measures: Malondialdehyde, glutathione, vitamin C, vitamin E, superoxide dismutase, plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin, BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and blood pressure.

Results: Yoga intervention resulted in a significant decline in malondialdehyde (p<0.001), relative to the control group. In comparison with the control, there was a significant improvement in BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure and fasting glucose levels at follow-up. No significant improvement in glycated haemoglobin, waist-to-hip ratio or any of the antioxidants was observed.

Conclusions: Yoga intervention may be helpful in control of oxidative stress in prediabetes subjects. Yoga can also be beneficial in reduction in BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure and fasting glucose. Effect of yoga on antioxidant parameters was not evident in this study. The findings of this study need to be confirmed in larger trials involving active control groups.