Laughter therapy modulates the parameters of renin-angiotensin system in patients with type 2 diabetes

The effect of laughter therapy on the plasma levels of renin, angiotensinogen, and prorenin was investigated in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the diabetic patients, the mean plasma renin concentrations were 24.6±12.1 ng/ml/h in the first observation (at the beginning of laughter therapy), 8.2±3.4 ng/ml/h in the second observation (three months after the beginning of laughter therapy) and 7.7±1.7 ng/ml/h in the third observation (six months after the beginning of laughter therapy). The mean plasma angiotensinogen concentrations in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd observations were 0.19±0.08, 0.47±0.12, 0.42±0.14 µg/ml, respectively. The mean plasma prorenin concentrations in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd observations during the laughter therapy were 195.1±66.2, 193.4±88.2 and 170.7±52.5 pg/ml, respectively. Plasma renin concentrations were significantly decreased (p<0.05) by the therapy. Subnormal concentrations of plasma angiotensinogen were found in the 1st observation and increased significantly (p<0.05) to the normal range after the therapy. Plasma prorenin concentration only slightly changed during the laughter therapy. Other biochemical parameters remained unchanged during the laughter therapy. These results indicated that a long-term laughter therapy changed the plasma components of renin-angiotensin system in patients with diabetes. Thus, laughter therapy can be used as non-pharmacological treatment for the prevention of diabetic microvascular complications.