Bandana Talukdar's research while affiliated with Maulana Azad Medical College and other places

We conducted a controlled study on effect of selected yoga practive in the control and management of 50 cases of essential hypertension and equal number of healthy (nonhypertensive) controls. Free radical cellular damage is considered to be the underlying common biological factor in essential hypertension. We, therefore, investigated lipid profile lipid peroxidation and Na+K+ ATPase activities of plasma membrane of subjects with essential hypertension. It was found that hypertensive subjects had an elevated lipid peroxidation and decreased Na+K+ ATPase activity in plasma membrane as compared to normotensive healthy controls, the specific yoga training protocol which was administered not only helped to decrease blood pressure but also retard the progression of ceellular damage due to free radicals.

The effect of 40 days yoga training in 30 hospitalized non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients has been investigated after stopping the medication. Blood glucose response to oral glucose load measured as area index total (AIT), glycated haemoglobin (GHb) plasma lipids and lipoproteins measurements before and after yoga training have been compared. Yoga training resulted in a significant improvement in AIT, GHb and plasma triglycerides and cholesterol levels. The data suggest that yoga training along with diet and medical management provides an important metabolic control in NIDDM and may have a role in primary prevention of diabetes mellitus.