Effects of Eight Weeks of Combined Yoga Exercises, Almond Consumption and Diet on Sexual Function of Diabetic Women

Type two diabetes is one of the most common endocrine diseases, and the lesser-known complication of diabetes is sexual dysfunction, which leads to, vaginal dryness in females and erectile problems in males. Therefore, it is necessary to study the influencing factors on the complication reduction of treatment. The main purpose of this present study was to examine the effects of 8 weeks of combined yoga exercises, almond consumption and diet on the sexual function of diabetic females in Damghan city. For this purpose, fifty diabetic women aged between 30 to 50 years old in Damghan were selected and matched based on their age, height, and weight into five groups (number in each groups=10 subject). The subjects randomly named 1.yoga exercises; 2. Almonds consumption; 3. Diet (doing all three items); and 4. Control group. Before and after the intervention period, blood pressure, blood sugar, waist, and hip size were measured and the subjects completed a dietary recall questionnaire. The first group subjects performed 10-minute breathing exercises, 20-minute stretching, and 15-minute concentration of yoga exercises in each session. The second group replaced 1 ounce (equivalent to 28.34 gr) of almonds with a 10% calorie intake per day. The third group implemented any of the diet programs set by the nutritionist, and the fourth group performed all of the above 3 conditions (yoga, almonds consumption & diet). The control group did not implement any of the above. TDEo analyses of the data, descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. The results showed that eight weeks of yoga exercises, almond consumption, and diet significantly affect sexual function among diabetic women. However, no significant effect was observed on the sexual function after the intervention in the control group. Thus yoga exercises, almond consumption, and diet improved sexual function of diabetic women.