Improve Elderly Blood Pressure and Waist Circumference with Tai Chi
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.
“For those with limited space, tai chi may be an easier and more convenient than brisk walking as an anti-aging choice. Previous studies have shown tai chi also improves balance and may help boost brain functioning.” – Shinn-Zong Lin
Metabolic Syndrome is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It generally results from overweight and abdominal obesity and includes high blood pressure, insulin resistance and elevation of plasma cholesterol and triglycerides. It is an important risk factor as it increases the risk of developing type-2 diabetes five-fold and heart attack or stroke three-fold. Metabolic Syndrome incidence has been rising rapidly and it currently affects 34% of U.S. adults. Needless to say, this is a major health problem. The good news is that timely treatment can prevent or reverse the risk. The simplest treatment is simply exercise and weight loss.
The incidence of metabolic syndrome is much higher in the elderly with 50% of people over 60 years of age suffering from metabolic syndrome. Exercise that is appropriate for younger individuals is often not appropriate for the elderly. Tai Chi is a mindfulness practice and gentle exercise that has been found to be safe and effective for the elderly. Hence, it would seem reasonable to test the effectiveness of Tai Chi for metabolic syndrome in the elderly.
In today’s Research News article “The effects of Tai Chi on waist circumference and blood pressure in the elderly.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300833/
Lee tested the effect of Tai Chi on the blood pressure and waist circumference of the elderly. She recruited sedentary individuals over 65 years of age and randomly assigned them to groups that practiced Tai Chi or a control group that practiced solely the warm up and cool down portions of the program. Tai Chi was practiced for 60 minutes, 5 times per week for 6 weeks. The participants were measured for blood pressure and waist circumference before and after the 6-week practice period.
Lee found that practicing Tai Chi produced a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference in the elderly participants. There were no recorded injuries or adverse effects from the practice. Since metabolic syndrome is associated with excess body fat and high blood pressure, these results suggest that Tai Chi practice may be a safe and effective treatment to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome in the elderly. Tai Chi has also been shown to improve the elderly mentally and physically including the risk of falls. So, it would seem reasonable to encourage the participation of the elderly in Tai Chi practice for their health and wellbeing.
So, improve elderly blood pressure and waist circumference with Tai Chi.
“Tai chi is often described as “meditation in motion,” but it might well be called “medication in motion.” There is growing evidence that this mind-body practice, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems. And you can get started even if you aren’t in top shape or the best of health.” – Harvard Women’s Health Watch
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
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Study Summary
Lee, Y. M. (2017). The effects of Tai Chi on waist circumference and blood pressure in the elderly. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 29(1), 172–175. http://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.29.172
Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi on waist circumference and blood pressure in the elderly. The present study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. [Subjects and Methods] Sixty-eight elderly individuals residing in J city were divided into 2 groups: 34 in the experimental group, who received Tai Chi training for 6 weeks, and 34 in the control group, who did not receive Tai Chi training. Simplified Yang style 24-form Tai Chi was used as the intervention, which was conducted for 60 minutes per session, 5 sessions per week, for a total of 6 weeks. In each session, subjects in the experimental group conducted 10 minutes of warm-up exercises, 45 minutes of Tai Chi, and 5 minutes of cool-down exercises. Waist circumference and blood pressure were measured before and after the 6-week intervention. [Results] Waist circumference and blood pressure decreased significantly after the 6-week intervention in the experimental group compared with the control group. [Conclusion] Tai Chi can be used as an effective intervention to improve waist circumference and blood pressure in the elderly.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300833/