Effects of the Addition of T'ai Chi to a Dietary Weight Loss Program on Lipoprotein Atherogenicity in Obese Older Women.

Abstract Objective: To examine the additive effect of t'ai chi (TC) to diet education on the traditional coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factor low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and on emerging CHD risk factors (apolipoprotein B and LDL particle size) in older obese women. Design: Ancillary study of a randomized clinical trial. Setting: University of Rhode Island. Participants: 26 obese women (mean age±standard deviation, 61.5±6.0 years; mean body mass index, 34.3±4.0 kg/m2) were enrolled and randomly assigned to the diet education group (n=13) or the diet education plus TC group (n=13). Intervention: All participants received 45 minutes of diet education per week. The diet education plus TC group also received 45 minutes of TC three times per week for 16 weeks. Outcome Measures: Anthropometrics (height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, and hip circumference), clinical variables (blood pressure), and biochemical variables (standard lipid profile, apolipoprotein B, LDL particle size) were measured. The primary outcome was LDL-C, and the secondary outcomes were apolipoprotein B and LDL particle size. Results: Neither LDL-C nor apolipoprotein B improved in either group. Percentage of large LDL particles after the intervention was increased in the diet education plus TC group compared with the diet education group. Weight, waist circumference, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased in both groups from baseline to post-intervention. Triacylglycerol and dietary screening tool scores increased in both groups. Additional improvements were seen in the diet education plus TC group, including a significant increase in Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension score from baseline to post-intervention. Conclusion: The addition of TC to diet education is more effective than diet education alone at improving diet quality and emerging CHD risk factors, such as LDL particle size, in obese older women.
PMID: 23484524