Health benefits of Tai Chi for older patients with type 2 diabetes: The “Move It for Diabetes Study” – A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Older adults with type 2 diabetes have mobility impairment and reduced fitness. This study aimed to test the efficacy of the “Tai Chi for Diabetes” form, developed to address health-related problems in diabetes, including mobility and physical function. Thirty-eight older adults with stable type 2 diabetes were randomized to Tai Chi or sham exercise, twice a week for 16 weeks. Outcomes included gait, balance, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular fitness, self-reported activity and quality of life. Static and dynamic balance index (−5.8 ± 14.2; p = 0.03) and maximal gait speed (6.2 ± 11.6%; p = 0.005) improved over time, with no significant group effects. There were no changes in other measures. Non-specific effects of exercise testing and/or study participation such as outcome expectation, socialization, the Hawthorne effect, or unmeasured changes in health status or compliance with medical treatment may underlie the modest improvements in gait and balance observed in this sham-exercise-controlled trial. This Tai Chi form, although developed specifically for diabetes, may not have been of sufficient intensity, frequency, or duration to effect positive changes in many aspects of physiology or health status relevant to older people with diabetes.

Keywords:

• Tai Chi
• Type 2 diabetes
• physical function

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to their sponsor, Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology for all their assistance and generosity; to Keiser Sports Health Inc for their donation of K400 Electronics for pneumatic resistance machines; and to the subjects for their dedication and commitment to the study. This study was funded by the School of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Sydney, Australia.

Financial disclosure

This study was supported by the School of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Sydney, $700 AUD. Blood tests and collection tubes were supplied by our sponsor, Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology.

There were no conflicts of interest and the results of the present study do not constitute endorsement of the product by the authors: T Tsang, R Orr, E Comino, and MF Singh. Author P Lam was the creator of the “Tai Chi for Diabetes” form and producer of its video, and is also the founder of the business, Tai Chi Productions, which distributes these videos and similar products and services.