Effect of tai chi on glycaemic control, lipid metabolism and body composition in adults with type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis and systematic review.
Shuai Guo, Ying Xu, Jiawei Qin and 5 others
PMID 33594445WHAT IT FOUND
Tai chi improved several diabetes risk markers versus usual care, but versus aerobic exercise it did not reduce fasting glucose, cholesterol or BMI; only long-term blood sugar was borderline and good cholesterol slightly better.
Key findings
01Compared with conventional therapy, tai chi lowered fasting blood glucose by a mean difference of -1.04, but heterogeneity was high (I² = 72%).
02Compared with aerobic exercise, tai chi did not significantly reduce fasting blood glucose (mean difference -0.07; p = 0.68).
03Against aerobic exercise, HbA1c reduction was borderline (mean difference -0.24; p = 0.05), while HDL improved significantly (mean difference 0.07; p < 0.05).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 3 of the included studies reported allocation concealment. All studies had high risk of performance bias because participants could know they were doing tai chi. Heterogeneity was high for several key outcomes, including fasting glucose (I² = 72%) and HbA1c (I² = 98%). Most studies were conducted in China, and tai chi styles, intensity and self-modified intensity varied. Some outcomes were based on very few studies, including postprandial glucose (2 studies). The review did not directly compare blood pressure between tai chi and aerobic exercise. Some data had to be calculated or transformed because reported formats were inconsistent. Ten studies had a high risk of bias from factors such as small samples and unequal dropouts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that tai chi is better than aerobic exercise for diabetes control. Against aerobic exercise, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and BMI did not show a significant advantage; only HbA1c was borderline and HDL was slightly better.