The effects of Tai Chi on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis

Author: Wang Xinzheng1, Jin Fanyuan2, Wang Xiaodong3
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Physical Education, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, Zhejiang Province, China. Electronic address: 969088628@qq.com. <sup>2</sup> The Third School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, Zhejiang Province, China. Electronic address: 1165863572@qq.com. <sup>3</sup> The Third School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, Zhejiang Province, China. Electronic address: wangxdong@126.com.
Conference/Journal: Complement Ther Med
Date published: 2022 Aug 26
Other: Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102871. , Word Count: 196


Objective:
The research aims to evaluate effects of the Tai Chi exercise therapy on glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Design:
Systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature were undertaken.

Methods:
Seven electronic resource databases were scanned to collect eligible studies. Two reviewers selected studies, the meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.3 after quality evaluation.

Results:
Nineteen RCT trails involved in 18 reports were included in the meta-analysis, involving 1220 research objects. The results show that the Tai Chi exercise group is better than the control group in decreasing fasting blood glucose (FBG) (MD = -0.79, 95%CI (-1.73, -0.68), p < 0.0001), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (MD = -1.10, 95% CI (-1.78, -0.43), p = 0.001), triglyceride (TG) (MD = -0.23, 95% CI (-0.32, -0.15), p < 0.0001) and in reducing the concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (MD = 0.15, 95% CI (0.11, 0.20), p < 0.0001) of T2DM patients.

Conclusions:
Tai Chi exercise therapy shows significant superiority in improving the FBG, HbA1c, TG, and HDL-C in T2DM patients. It can be used as one of the exercise prescriptions for prevention and treatment of T2DM patients.

Keywords: Exercise therapy; Glucose and lipid metabolism; Meta-analysis; Tai Chi; Type 2 Diabetes mellitus.

PMID: 36038033 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102871