What is the unexpected “therapeutic tool” that can be included in the daily life of diabetics according to new scientific research?
The hot bath helps control diabetesaccording to new scientific research by Dr. Hisayuki Katsuyama of Kohnodai Hospital in Japan, which was presented during the European Society for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) online conference.
A daily hot bath can help control diabetes
According to the study, exposure to heat through a hot bath has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk factors for type 2 diabetes, including glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), whose value is an indicator of blood glucose control in patients.
Also the sauna and jacuzzi could be beneficial
Previous studies have shown that heat therapy, such as sauna and Jacuzzi, improves blood sugar control and body fat percentage, and therefore could be a therapeutic tool in the daily life of patients with type 2 diabetes.
However, to date there have been no studies in a large sample of patients examining the effect on metabolic parameters of patients in a real world setting.
What did the investigation find?
The researchers studied the correlation between the frequency of hot baths (in Japan, most homes have a hot tub) and anthropometric measurements and blood tests of 1,297 people with diabetes who regularly visited the hospital between 2018 and 2019. .
The patients were divided into three groups based on how often they took a hot bath: four or more a week, between one and four, and less than one.
Statistical analysis showed that the average frequency was 4.2 times per week and the average duration of the bath was 16 minutes. Reduction in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, and glycosylated hemoglobin were associated with a higher frequency of hot baths.
Further statistical analysis determined bathing frequency as an important determinant of glycosylated hemoglobin after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, insulin dose, and oral medication, with significant differences between groups. The first group (with the highest frequency of hot baths) had an average glycosylated hemoglobin value of 7.10%, the second group 7.20% and the third group 7.36%.
The hot bath also emerged as an independent factor in body mass index after adjusting for age and sex, with the first group having the lowest mean BMI. An equally beneficial correlation was found in the reduction of diastolic blood pressure.