In insulin dependent DM, asanas help prevent an increase in insulin requirement over the years. Yogic exercises can either be high or low intensity, depending on the clinical condition. A young active diabetic can be made to practise very intense asanas in a dynamic manner, which will increase the cellular activity of the muscle which needs more sugar. The advanced asanas require a lot of energy and this helps normalise blood sugar. But, if the person is obese, asana practice is difficult and it is easier to reduce weight by other means and then take up yoga.
Yoga increases the practitioner's sensitivity to body movements and cellular changes.
There is no pounding, flogging or forcible action in asana practice. The action on the cells is gentle and soothing and relieves the modified pathology by better blood perfusion, thus healing the area. Depending on the need the asanas can be modified. In yoga, it is possible to create a selective uptake of sugar depending on the group worked. Other exercises increase the general sugar uptake by the cells.