New research reports that stress reduction techniques such as relaxation and breathing exercises can, in many cases, work as well as some drugs to control the effects of diabetes. A research team at Duke University medical Center reported that nearly one-third of diabetes patients who regularly practiced such techniques lowered their blood sugar levels by 1% or more. The study’s findings are reported in the January 2002 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

Medical psychologist Richard Surwit, who led the study, explained how “the stress management techniques, when added to standard care, helped reduce glucose levels…the change is nearly as large as you would expect to see from some diabetes-control drugs.” Surwit added, “These techniques are simple, quick to learn, and have been shown to work for multiple conditions, including coronary syndromes.”

Surwit’s research team worked with 108 patients with type II or adult-onset diabetes. All the patients took part in five 30-minute educational sessions about diabetes. Half also got stress management training taught by nurses or graduate students specifically trained for the study.

After a year, 32% of the patients who practiced stress management had a 1% or higher reduction in blood glucose levels--a basic measurement of their diabetes. Only 12% of the patients who did not get the stress training had such a reduction.

Surwit found no differences between the groups in weight, diet or exercise--all key factors in the managing diabetes. He emphasized that stress can also affect diabetes directly. "Experiencing stress is associated with the release of hormones that lead to energy mobilization--known as the 'fight or flight' response," Surwit explained. "Key to this energy mobilization is the transport of glucose into the bloodstream, resulting in elevated glucose levels, which is a health threat for people with diabetes."