Tai chi may provide quality of life improvements in CVD
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Patients who underwent a tai chi intervention for CVD had better quality of life, mental health and physical health compared with patients who received usual care, another type of exercise or educational intervention, researchers reported.
For a meta-analysis, researchers assessed 15 clinical trials that incorporated a tai chi intervention among a cohort of participants with CVD (n = 1,853; mean age, 66 years; 44% women) and assessed at least one aspect of psychological health. Outcomes included quality of life, stress, anxiety, depression and psychological distress among participants with HF, hypertension, stroke or CHD.
When those who participated in tai chi as a form of CVD intervention were compared with the control group, investigators observed significant improvement in:
- general quality of life overall (Hedges’ g = 0.96; I2 = 94.99%);
- mental health quality of life (Hedges’ g = 0.2; I2 = 15.93);
- physical health quality of life (Hedges’ g = .4; I2 = 0%);
- less depression (Hedges’ g = 0.69; I2 = 86.64%); and
- less psychological distress (Hedges’ g = 0.58; I2 = 0%).
“This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials written in English and German languages published during the past decade to assess the efficacy of tai chi exercise interventions for improving psychological well-being among adults with CVD,” Ruth E. Taylor-Piliae, PhD, RN, FAHA, associate professor of nursing at the University of Arizona, and Brooke A. Finley, MSN, PMHNP-BC, RN-BC, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at The Meadows of Wickenburg, Arizona, wrote in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. “Overall, the meta-analysis results indicate that tai chi interventions among older adults (60 years of age and older) with CVD led to significantly better quality of life, along with less depression and psychological distress, compared with controls.”
Benefits in HF and CHD
Participants with chronic HF did not experience significant improvement in general quality of life (Hedges’ g = 1; I2 = 96.75%), but did experience significant improvement in depression (Hedges’ g = 1.07; I2 = 86.99%) and psychological distress (Hedges’ g = 0.58; I2 = 0%) compared with the control group of patients who received usual care, another type of exercise or educational intervention.
Patients with CHD who participated in the tai chi interventions experienced moderate improvements in mental health quality of life (Hedges’ g = 0.46; I2 = 0%) but did not have significant improvement in physical health QOL (Hedges’ g = 0.19; I2 = 0%) compared with the control group.
“If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, or are affected by another heart condition, I would strongly recommend adding tai chi to your recovery and rehabilitation,” Taylor-Piliae said in a press release. “There are physical benefits like improved balance and it’s good for mental health too.
“I think it’s the synergy between postures and breathing,” Taylor-Piliae said in the release. “During tai chi you have good body posture, and research has shown that this enhances mood. We also know that holding your breath can cause stress and anxiety.”
Benefit for patients with hypertension
In other findings, patients with hypertension did not experience improvements in mental health quality of life as a result of tai chi (Hedges’ g = 0.13; I2 = 0%), but had moderate improvements in physical health quality of life (Hedges’ g = 0.47; I2 = 0%) compared with the control group.
Patients who had experienced a stroke also had no significant improvements for mental health quality of life (Hedges’ g = 0.4; I2 = 54.76%), physical health quality of life (Hedges’ g = 0.4; I2 = 54.76%) or depression (Hedges’ g = 0.45; I2 = 50.2%) compared with the control group.
“Tai chi is a safe, low-cost mind-body exercise that facilitates better psychological well-being. Meta-analytic evidence indicates that tai chi interventions among adults with coronary heart disease or hypertension leads to better quality of life, with less depression and psychological distress among adults with chronic heart failure, when compared to controls,” Taylor-Piliae told Healio. “Further research is needed to explore potential mechanisms of how tai chi improves psychological well-being, especially among adults with cardiovascular disease.”
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