▎ WuXi AppTec content team editor
I believe that many readers' college physical education classes start from the 24-style tai chi. As you try to remember every movement and try to harmonize your body, you may not think about the health benefits of the sport for participants.
In recent years, there have been studies that have paid attention to the health factors such as tai chi that are beneficial to cognition, motor function, and weight. For example, a study last year pointed out that the waist circumference reduction effect of tai chi in middle-aged and elderly people may be comparable to aerobic + strength training. Just recently, two more studies, led by the Chinese team, have revealed more benefits of tai chi — helping to delay cognitive decline and helping stroke (stroke) patients recover.
In one of the studies, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, scientists at Ruijin Hospital, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, linked tai chi to the delay of cognitive decline.
According to the World Health Organization, there are at least 55 million people with dementia worldwide, of whom 60% to 70% are Alzheimer's disease patients. Before the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease appear, there is a 4- to 5-year period of "mild cognitive impairment." If you can intervene at this stage and delay cognitive decline, it is possible to interrupt the progression of the disease.
However, the effect of drugs for Alzheimer's disease on mild cognitive impairment is very limited, so non-pharmacological interventions, including cognitive training, physical exercise, diet regulation, etc., have received widespread attention for the effect of delaying cognitive decline.
Image credit: 123RF
In previous studies, the research team trained people with mild cognitive impairment on online cognitive tasks for half a year. This training improves the patient's memory, attention and executive abilities. But after the mission, the benefits of training diminish over time.
At the same time, in previous studies, Tai Chi has shown the effect of improving cognitive ability and long-term memory ability. The latest paper writes that tai chi combines static body postures with slow movements, and participants need to remember all postures and movements. At the same time, Tai Chi trains balance, flexibility and muscle strength, helping to improve concentration, help form memories, and help relax the body.
So the research team came up with a strategy for using tai chi to consolidate the health gains of cognitive training. They suspect that combining tai chi with cognitive training may have the effect of 1+1>2.
The research team conducted a one-year control study of people with mild cognitive impairment in the Tai Chi + cognitive training group, cognitive training group and control group, and after one year, the standard cognitive ability test table was used to test the participants' cognitive ability.
As a result, the overall cognitive level of the Tai Chi + cognitive training group and the cognitive training group was improved, and the improvement of the Tai Chi + cognitive training group was more obvious. In addition, participants in the Tai Chi + Cognitive Training group also performed better in the test of delayed memory ability, indicating that Tai Chi may also help improve memory.
▲The performance of multiple tests changes over time (Image source: Reference[1])
However, the research team is more concerned about whether this effect can be sustained in the long run. To this end, they were followed up for 1 year. During this period, the Tai Chi + Cognitive Training Group was split into two groups: one group stopped training, and the other group continued to carry out Tai Chi + Cognitive Training.
Another year later (24 months after the start of the entire experiment), the conclusion emerged: the participants who stopped training gradually eroded their former advantages, while those who continued Tai Chi + cognitive training still maintained better cognitive abilities and memory.
It is worth mentioning that the study found that participants in the Tai Chi + cognitive training group eventually developed Alzheimer's disease at a lower rate, but due to the limited sample size, larger follow-up studies are needed to confirm this trend.
In another study published in Stroke, a team led by the City University of Hong Kong revealed how tai chi can help stroke survivors.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recommends starting rehabilitation within 7 days of stroke and lasting 6 months in its guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, the reality is that many stroke survivors have difficulty in maintaining rehabilitation due to poor physical control and inability to use their arms well.
To make it easier for stroke survivors to participate in training and improve their health, the research team developed a sit-down tai chi: even if the hand or arm is weak, or if they have hemiplegia, people can use a healthier arm to help the other arm move.
The research team tested 160 older adults who had recently developed stroke for the first time and were randomly divided into a tai chi group and a standard rehabilitation group (i.e., a control group). Among them, the Tai Chi group performed Tai Chi practice for 3 days a week for nearly 3 months, while the control group conducted standard rehabilitation training of equal intensity and duration.
▲Schematic diagram of sitting tai chi developed by the research team (Image source: Reference[2])
After the control experiment, the research team analyzed the health status of the participants in both groups through questionnaires and assessment tools. The results showed that after 3 months of sitting tai chi training, stroke survivors' hand and arm strength was improved, and their balance control ability and shoulder range of motion were better than those of the control group when sitting and standing. In addition, their symptoms of depression were significantly reduced and their quality of life was higher.
According to the authors, this is the first randomized controlled trial of sit-down tai chi, and for those who struggle with standard stroke rehabilitation, the new method has achieved significant short-term benefits and is an effective option for improving balance, coordination, strength and flexibility. Next, the research team will also focus on the long-term health effects of tai chi.
Resources:
[1] Li, B, Tang, H, He, G, et al. Tai Chi enhances cognitive training effects on delaying cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimer's Dement. 2022; 1- 14. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12658
[2] Jie Zhao et al. Tailored Sitting Tai Chi Program for Subacute Stroke Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Stroke(2022) https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.121.036578
[2] Sitting Tai Chi exercises improved recovery outcomes for older stroke survivors. Retrieved Apr. 7th, 2022 from https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/948648
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