Effects of lunar cycle on fasting plasma glucose, heart rate and blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of lunar phases on fasting plasma glucose, heart rate, and blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients. The present cross-sectional study was carried out during four phases, i.e., full moon (FM), first quarter (FQ), new moon (NM), and third quarter (TQ), of the lunar month. The study was conducted on 42 randomly selected patients (22 males and 20 females) from the Diabetes Clinic of Calcutta Medical College. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) of each subject was determined and heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured at rest and during static exercise conditions, i.e., performance of a standard handgrip dynamometer test. The FPG level during the NM and FM was significantly higher (p < .001) than during the TQ and FQ for both males and females, respectively. The mean HR during static exercise during the NM and FM for both males and females was significantly higher than that during the FQ (p < .05) and TQ (p < .01). It appears from the present study that lunar phases may affect fasting plasma glucose level and cardiovascular functions of aged type 2 diabetic patients both at rest and during exercise.

KEYWORDS:

• Fasting plasma glucose
• heart rate
• blood pressure
• lunar phase
• type 2 Diabetes

Acknowledgements

The study was carried out at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (RIO), Calcutta Medical College; the authors like to acknowledge this Department for facilities used for this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was received for this study.