A randomized, prospective study of the effects of Tai Chi Chuan exercise on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

METHODS: One hundred thirty-two healthy postmenopausal women were randomized into the Tai Chi group or a sedentary control group. Tai Chi exercise was performed for 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 12 months. RESULTS: Measurements revealed a general bone loss in both Tai Chi and sedentary control subjects at all measured skeletal sites, but with a reportedly slower rate in the Tai Chi group. A significant 2.6- to 3.6-fold retardation of bone loss was found in the tibia in the Tai Chi group as compared with the controls.