1.
Effect of tai chi on glycaemic control, lipid metabolism and body composition in adults with type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis and systematic review.
Guo, S, Xu, Y, Qin, J, Chen, Y, You, Y, Tao, J, Liu, Z, Huang, J
Journal of rehabilitation medicine. 2021;(3):jrm00165
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of tai chi on metabolic control and body composition indicators in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature. METHODS Electronic resource databases were searched to collect eligible studies. Two reviewers selected studies and independently evaluated method-ological quality. RESULTS Twenty-three studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that tai chi had significant effects in improving metabolic indices, such as fasting blood glucose (mean differ-ence (MD) = -1.04; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) -1.42 to 0.66; p < 0.01) and total cholesterol (MD = -0.50; 95% CI -0.86 to -0.13; p < 0.01) compared with conventional clinical therapy. Most in-dices did not support the use of tai chi over aerobic exercise, except for glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (MD = -0.24; 95% CI -0.49 to 0.00; p < 0.01) and high-density lipoprotein (MD = 0.07; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.12; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Tai chi had better effects on metabolic control and body composition indicators than clinical conventional therapy, but only on HbA1c and HDL were superior than that of aerobic exercise. The best time-window for tai chi intervention may differ with different metabolic indices.
2.
Body Composition Outcomes of Tai Chi and Qigong Practice: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Larkey, LK, James, D, Belyea, M, Jeong, M, Smith, LL
International journal of behavioral medicine. 2018;(5):487-501
Abstract
PURPOSE Meditative movement (MM) practices are increasingly being studied, including examination of the potential for these modalities to contribute to weight management. METHODS A search was conducted for randomized controlled trials testing one or both of two forms of MM, Tai Chi and Qigong, reporting effects on changes in body composition. Data from these studies were extracted and tabled, and a meta-analysis of studies with inactive control conditions was conducted. Risk of bias was assessed, and seven RCTs had a low risk of bias. Sources of bias include publication bias and selection of English only. RESULTS Publications meeting inclusion criteria yielded 24 studies (N = 1621 participants). Significant improvements in body composition, primarily body mass index, were noted for 41.7% of studies. A synthesis table describes the distribution of design factors, including type of comparison condition (inactive vs. active) and baseline body composition status (whether or not overweight/obese). A meta-analysis was conducted on 12 studies with inactive controls (using a random effects model) finding a small-to-medium treatment effect (SMD = - 0.388, CI = [- 0.732, - 0.044], t = 2.48, p < 0.03) for TC or QG interventions with a high level of heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS Tai Chi and Qigong show demonstrable effects on body composition, when compared to inactive control conditions. Systematic evaluation and valid conclusions regarding the impact of Tai Chi and Qigong on body composition outcomes will require more targeted study designs and control of comparison conditions.
3.
The effects of mind-body therapies on the immune system: meta-analysis.
Morgan, N, Irwin, MR, Chung, M, Wang, C
PloS one. 2014;(7):e100903
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Psychological and health-restorative benefits of mind-body therapies have been investigated, but their impact on the immune system remain less defined. OBJECTIVE To conduct the first comprehensive review of available controlled trial evidence to evaluate the effects of mind-body therapies on the immune system, focusing on markers of inflammation and anti-viral related immune responses. METHODS Data sources included MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO through September 1, 2013. Randomized controlled trials published in English evaluating at least four weeks of Tai Chi, Qi Gong, meditation, or Yoga that reported immune outcome measures were selected. Studies were synthesized separately by inflammatory (n = 18), anti-viral related immunity (n = 7), and enumerative (n = 14) outcomes measures. We performed random-effects meta-analyses using standardized mean difference when appropriate. RESULTS Thirty-four studies published in 39 articles (total 2, 219 participants) met inclusion criteria. For inflammatory measures, after 7 to 16 weeks of mind-body intervention, there was a moderate effect on reduction of C-reactive protein (effect size [ES], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04 to 1.12), a small but not statistically significant reduction of interleukin-6 (ES, 0.35; 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.75), and negligible effect on tumor necrosis factor-α (ES, 0.21; 95% CI, -0.15 to 0.58). For anti-viral related immune and enumerative measures, there were negligible effects on CD4 counts (ES, 0.15; 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.34) and natural killer cell counts (ES, 0.12, 95% CI -0.21 to 0.45). Some evidence indicated mind-body therapies increase immune responses to vaccination. CONCLUSIONS Mind-body therapies reduce markers of inflammation and influence virus-specific immune responses to vaccination despite minimal evidence suggesting effects on resting anti-viral or enumerative measures. These immunomodulatory effects, albeit incomplete, warrant further methodologically rigorous studies to determine the clinical implications of these findings for inflammatory and infectious disease outcomes.
4.
Lack of evidence on Tai Chi-related effects in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis.
Yan, JH, Gu, WJ, Pan, L
Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes : official journal, German Society of Endocrinology [and] German Diabetes Association. 2013;(5):266-71
Abstract
AIMS: Whether Tai Chi (TC) benefits patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains controversial. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of TC in T2DM patients. METHODS A computerised search through PubMed and Embase was performed to identify relevant studies. The primary outcomes were fasting blood glucose (FBG), haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and insulin resistance (HOMA). Secondary outcomes included total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. RESULTS 4 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and 5 non-randomised controlled trials (NRCTs) met the inclusion criteria. The pooled WMDs from RCTs were -14.82 mg/dL (95% CI: -49.17 to 19.53; P=0.40) for FBG, -0.19% (95% CI: -0.41 to 0.03; P=0.09) for HbA1c and -0.34 units (95% CI: -3.02 to 2.34; P=0.80) for HOMA. The WMDs from NRCTs were -11.22 mg/dL (95% CI: -18.58 to -3.86; P=0.003) for FBG, -0.41% (95% CI: -0.53 to -0.29; P<0.00001) for HbA1c and -0.60 units (95% CI: -1.46 to 0.25; P=0.16) for HOMA. Furthermore, the pooled results of serum lipids suggest that TC significantly reduced triglyceride (P=0.006) instead of total cholesterol (P=0.77), and failed to improve HDL-C (P=0.12). CONCLUSIONS Sufficient evidence to support the benefits of TC to T2DM patients is lacking. Further large-scale studies are needed to investigate the long-term efficacy of TC.