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Slow movements and controlled breathing also help build resilience, reduce stress
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by Janice Lloyd
Updated August 19, 2022
Aerobic activities like walking and jogging have long been credited with providing physical and mental benefits, but an ancient slow-moving exercise is getting high grades, a study shows.
Participants stand, move gently and focus on their breathing while doing tai chi, a centuries-old Chinese practice. While previous studies have looked at how tai chi helps improve well-being and prevents falls among older people, ongoing studies are exploring whether it improves cognition and cardiovascular and mental health.
In a January 2012 study of 120 elderly Chinese people, participants who did tai chi for 40 weeks as well as those who engaged in stimulating discussion outperformed walkers on several cognitive tests. They also showed increases in brain size and scored higher on memory and thinking tests than participants who walked or did nothing.
"You really can't go wrong with tai chi or any of the mind-body activities because they help reduce stress and build resilience," says Helen Lavretsky, a psychiatry professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and director of the school's late-life mood, stress and wellness program. While Lavretsky was not involved in the study, she has conducted multiple studies to see if tai chi, yoga and meditation can lessen symptoms of depression and stress and improve cognition.
Nearly two-thirds of older people who suffer from depression do not respond to initial pharmaceutical interventions, she said. Depression weakens decision-making and attention, and it is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
In a study of 112 adults age 60 and over who suffered from major depression, tai chi helped. Seventy-three who were able to tolerate an antidepressant but had not recovered continued to take it and were assigned to 10 weeks (two hours per week) of tai chi or health education. All participants were tested for depression, anxiety, cognition, inflammation, resilience and health-related quality of life at the start of the study and afterward. Those who performed the tai chi exercises showed a greater reduction of depressive symptoms and improved cognition and decreased inflammation.
Lavretsky said depression can begin after people stop being mobile and no longer enjoy walking. Tai chi is a great alternative. "If you have any balance issues, start slowly and increase your agility," she said.
• “The effect of tai chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions: A systematic review," Archives of Internal Medicine, March 2004. This review of randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized controlled studies and observational studies found that tai chi was associated with overall well-being as well as better balance and flexibility. But the researchers noted that most of the studies had limitations and biases and that additional research was needed. Read the full study.
• "Changes in brain volume and cognition in a randomized trial of exercise and social interaction in a community-based sample of non-demented Chinese elders," Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, January 2012. Read a summary of the study. (A fee is required to access the full study.)
• "Complementary Use of Tai Chi Chih Augments Escitalopram Treatment of Geriatric Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial," The American Journal of Geriatric Psychology, October 2011. Read the full study.