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Traditional Chinese exercises may improve CV health, quality of life
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Tai Chi and other traditional Chinese exercises may improve BP, cholesterol, depression and overall quality of life in patients with CVD, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Traditional Chinese exercise are a low-risk, promising intervention that could be helpful in improving quality of life in patients with [CVD] — the leading cause of disability and death in the world,” Yu Liu, PhD, dean of the School of Kinesiology at Shanghai University of Sport in China, said in a press release. “But the physical and psychological benefits to these patients of this increasingly popular form of exercise must be determined based on scientific evidence.”
The researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 35 studies which included 2,249 patients with CVD who were assigned to traditional Chinese exercise or a control group that was either prescribed another type of exercise or required to make no change to activity level. Patients in the studies were from 10 different countries.
Compared with the control group, the patients who practiced Chinese exercises had lower BP and cholesterol. Pooled analysis showed a reduction of 9.12 mm Hg (95% CI, – 16.38 to – 1.86) in systolic BP and of 5.12 mm Hg (95% CI, – 7.71 to – 2.52) in diastolic BP. Improvements were also observed in total cholesterol (standardized mean difference [SMD] = – 1.12; 95% CI, – 1.97 to – 0.27), LDL (SMD = – 0.81; 95% CI, – 1.24 to – 0.38), triglycerides (SMD = – 0.33; 95% CI, – 0.56 to – 0.09), 6-minute walk test (SMD = 59.58; 95% CI, – 153.13-269.93), Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire results (standardized mean difference – 17.08; 95% CI, – 23.74 to – 10.41) and Profile of Mood States depression scale (standardized mean difference – 3.02; 95% CI, – 3.5 to – 2.53). There was no significant difference in heart rate and peak oxygen uptake did not significantly increase compared with the control group.
“A meta-analysis showed that by reducing the systolic BP and diastolic BP by 10 [mm Hg] and 5 mm Hg, respectively, [traditional Chinese exercises] could reduce the occurrences of stroke and [CHD] by 41% and 22%, respectively,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers also noted several limitations to their study including differences in inclusion criteria, short duration of follow-up, possibility of publication bias and lack of allocation concealment.
“More multicenter randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes must be conducted to assess the effects of traditional Chinese exercises in CVD patients,” the researchers concluded. – by Tracey Romero
D isclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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