Lower blood pressure with tai chi

Luise Heine has been an editor at since 2012. The qualified biologist studied in Regensburg and Brisbane (Australia) and gained experience as a journalist in television, in the Ratgeber-Verlag and in a print magazine. In addition to her work at , she also writes for children, for example for the Stuttgarter Kinderzeitung, and has her own breakfast blog, “Kuchen zum Frühstück”.

More posts by Luise Heine All content is checked by medical journalists.

Tai-Chi, Qigong or Ba Duan Jin - the flowing movements from the Far East have long been ridiculed by Western doctors. Because with the "fitness exercises" you don't exactly break a sweat. Nevertheless, they have a positive effect on health. Particularly impressive: the effect on blood pressure.

It is almost hypnotic when you watch people practice Tai Chi. The movements not only have a calming effect on the viewer - at least that is the result of a meta-study carried out by Yu Liu from the Shanghai University of Sport in China and his team. To do this, they took a closer look at a total of 35 examinations with over 2,200 participants.

Good for the heart

Accordingly, people with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases particularly benefit from sports in the Far East because they lower their blood pressure. Quite clearly: Those who performed their exercises regularly within the studies were able to reduce their systolic blood pressure by an average of 9.12 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) and their diastolic value by 5 mmHg.

The heart was also relieved in another place, because Tai-Chi and Co. also ensured lower cholesterol levels. Only to a small extent, but still verifiable. "Traditional Chinese exercises are a low-risk, promising measure that can improve the quality of life for patients with cardiovascular complaints," summarizes Liu.

In contrast, the training had no measurable influence on heart rate or aerobic performance.

Effective against depression

The meditative movements also had a beneficial effect on the psyche. In particular, people with depression were able to improve their mood in this way. This was measured with the help of two different standard scales, the so-called “POMS Depression Scale” and the “Hamilton Depression Rating Scale”.

Simple and cheap

The advantages of the Far Eastern forms of movement are obvious for the advocates: You don't need any equipment, the exercises can be performed anywhere, are easy to learn and hardly cost. The researchers mainly refer to tai chi, qigong and ba duan jin in their research. What they have in common is that it is slow movement training that is about controlling your posture and breathing. Because posture plays such an important role, it is best to be guided by an experienced teacher the first time.

Source: Xue-Qiang W. et al. Traditional Chinese Exercise for Cardiovascular Diseases: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials; J Am Heart Assoc. 2016; 5: e002562 doi: 10.1161 / JAHA.115.002562

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