Plain language summary
Stress is considered to be an important factor in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and aerobic exercise can help modulate the stress response as well as being important in the management of diabetes. Mindfulness meditation and deep breathing have also been shown to have positive effects on both stress and T2DM. This 6-week single-blind, randomised, controlled trial evaluated the effect of 10 min slow deep breathing and 10 min mindfulness meditation following a 40 min aerobic exercise programme, compared to the 40 min aerobic exercise alone, on fasting blood glucose (FBG) and cortisol levels in 58 stressed women with T2DM. FBG and cortisol levels improved in both groups but more so in the group who received the deep breathing and mindfulness meditation in addition to the exercise intervention: 20% vs 30% reduction in cortisol and 10% vs 15% reduction in FBG. The authors conclude that adding slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation to an exercise programme may be useful in the management of stressed women with T2DM and reduce their cardiometabolic risk.
Expert Review
Conflicts of interest:
None
Take Home Message:
Practitioners could consider slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation, added to aerobic exercise, as potentially useful components of the T2DM management program for stressed women.
Evidence Category:
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X
A: Meta-analyses, position-stands, randomized-controlled trials (RCTs)
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B: Systematic reviews including RCTs of limited number
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C: Non-randomized trials, observational studies, narrative reviews
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D: Case-reports, evidence-based clinical findings
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E: Opinion piece, other
Summary Review:
Introduction
Stress, a key factor for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), stimulates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal gland (HPA) and triggers parasympathetic nerve withdrawal, leading to increased circulating cortisol levels and higher levels of blood glucose. Exercise is a key intervention that can modulate the HPA axis and help manage stress.
Methods
Fifty-eight women (aged between 40-50), diagnosed with T2DM for at least 5 years but medically stable with moderate to high stress scores were randomised to either aerobic training (AT) or aerobic exercise combined with slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation (DMM) training three times weekly over 6-weeks.
AT group performed aerobic exercise on a treadmill at an intensity of 60%– 75% of the maximum heart rate for a total of 40 min, including a 5 minute warm up and 5 min cool down.
AT + DMM group performed a combination of aerobic exercise as per the AT group followed by a total of 10 minutes of diaphragmatic slow, deep breathing; and mindfulness meditation.
Results
Both groups showed a change from baseline in serum cortisol to p<0.0001
At 6 weeks in the AT + DMM group, the primary outcome of serum cortisol (nmol/L) levels was 12.59 nmol/L [95% CI 4.45-6.52] a decrease of 30.29% and the fasting blood glucose levels (secondary outcome) was 136.37mg/dl (95% CI: 9.19–2.6) a decrease of 14.54%
In the AT group performing only aerobic exercise decreased serum cortisol levels by 20.16% and FBG levels decreased by 9.97%.
Conclusion
This study showed that combining slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation with aerobic exercise reduced the serum cortisol (p = 0.01) and FBG levels (p = 0.001) in women with T2DM compared to when only aerobic training was performed.
Clinical practice applications:
Consider a combined therapy approach with diaphragmatic breathing exercises and aerobic exercises that targets both the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems, as this may have a synergistic effect to assist with maintaining normal blood sugar levels and cortisol levels in individuals with T2DM.
Considerations for future research:
Future research is needed to determine the most effective combination of therapies for managing both FBG and serum cortisol levels in individuals with T2DM.
Abstract
Background: Aerobic exercise combined with breathing exercise can be an integral part of diabetes mellitus treatment. This single-center, randomized, parallel-group study investigated the effect of the combination of aerobic exercise with slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation on the glucose and cortisol levels of women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and Methods: Fifty-eight middle-aged women with T2DM (mean age: 45.67 ± 2.92 years) were randomly assigned to either the aerobic training group (AT: n = 29; mean age [46.1 ± 2.7 years]) or the aerobic exercise combined with slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation (AT + DMM: n = 29; mean age [45.24 ± 3.14 years]). Aerobic exercise was performed at 60%-75% of the maximum heart rate. The women in each group were asked to perform the training three times weekly over a 6-week period. The duration of each session was 40 min for the AT group and 60 min for the AT + DMM group. The two groups were asked to perform aerobic exercise at 60%-75% of the maximum heart rate. Their fasting blood glucose (FBG) and serum cortisol levels were measured at the baseline and after the 6 weeks. Results: Compared with the AT group, the group undertaking 6 weeks of aerobic training combined with slow, deep breathing exercises and mindfulness meditation showed significantly lower levels of FBG (p = 0.001) and cortisol levels (p = 0.01) than the AT group. Conclusion: The addition of slow deep breathing and mindfulness meditation to aerobic exercise can better control the glucose and cortisol levels of women with T2DM and thereby improve their outcomes and decrease their cardiometabolic risk.
Methodological quality
Jadad score
:
3
Allocation concealment
:
Not applicable
