Laughter yoga as an enjoyable therapeutic approach for glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial

• Published in: Frontiers in endocrinology (Lausanne) Vol. 14; p. 1148468
• Main Authors: Hirosaki, Mayumi, Ohira, Tetsuya, Wu, Yawei, Eguchi, Eri, Shirai, Kokoro, Imano, Hironori, Funakubo, Narumi, Nishizawa, Hitoshi, Katakami, Naoto, Shimomura, Iichiro, Iso, Hiroyasu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 31.03.2023
• Subjects: Body Weight; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - therapy; Endocrinology; Glycated Hemoglobin; Glycemic Control; Humans; laughter; Laughter Therapy; laughter yoga; positive affect; self-care; type 2 diabetes; positive affect; type 2 diabetes; glycemic control; laughter; self-care; laughter yoga
• ISSN: 1664-2392; 1664-2392
• DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1148468

Laughter has been reported to have various health benefits. However, data on the long-term effects of laughter interventions on diabetes are limited. This study aimed to investigate whether laughter yoga can improve glycemic control among individuals with type 2 diabetes. In a single-center, randomized controlled trial, 42 participants with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group. The intervention consisted of a 12-week laughter yoga program. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body weight, waist circumference, psychological factors, and sleep duration were evaluated at baseline and week 12. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that participants in the laughter yoga group experienced significant improvements in HbA1c levels (between-group difference: -0.31%; 95% CI -0.54, -0.09) and positive affect scores (between-group difference: 0.62 points; 95% CI 0.003, 1.23). Sleep duration tended to increase in the laughter yoga group with a between-group difference of 0.4 hours (95% CI -0.05, 0.86; = 0.080). The mean attendance rate for laughter yoga program was high (92.9%). A 12-week laughter yoga program is feasible for individuals with type 2 diabetes and improves glycemic control. These findings suggest that having fun could be a self-care intervention. Further studies with larger numbers of participants are warranted to better evaluate the effects of laughter yoga. http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn, identifier UMIN000047164.