Tai Chi May Help Support Brain Health

Tai chi might seem like it’s all about slowing down. But a growing body of research suggests that it helps brains keep up as we age. 

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 prevent falls among older people, ongoing studies are exploring whether it improves cognition and cardiovascular and mental health.

In a study published in 2012 of 120 people in China in their 60s to mid-70s, participants who did tai chi three times a week for 40 weeks as well as those who participated in a stimulating discussion for social interaction three times a week outperformed a group of people who walked on several cognitive tests. The tai chi and social groups also showed increases in brain size and scored higher on memory and thinking tests than the walkers and those who did nothing. 

A more recent study with 42 women in their 60s also found that practicing tai chi long term can improve memory and lead to denser gray matter in some parts of the brain, as reported in 2020 in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

“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, M.D., a psychiatry professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and director of the school’s late-life mood, stress and wellness program. Lavretsky has conducted studies that suggest tai chi can lessen symptoms of depression and stress in older adults. This might have to do with tai chi’s ability to enhance neuroplasticity, the brain’s natural ability to learn and adapt, she wrote in an email. 

Nearly two-thirds of older people who suffer from depression do not respond to initial pharmaceutical interventions, Lavretsky says. Depression weakens decision-making and attention, and it is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. 

In a study Lavretsky ran of 112 adults ages 60 and over who suffered from major depression, tai chi helped. Seventy-three who showed partial responses to an antidepressant continued to take it and were assigned to 10 weeks of tai chi or health education for two hours per week. 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 in depressive symptoms, as well as improved cognition and decreased inflammation, versus those who got health education, according to the 2011 report in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

In a study published in 2022 in the Journal of Affective Disorders, 40 people ages 59 to 73 with depression practiced tai chi for 12 weeks. These tai chi practitioners had fewer depression symptoms than those who took health education wellness classes. And MRI scans showed that in brain pathways that usually weaken during depressive periods, they had stronger connections after the study period. Lavretsky says 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 says.

To find classes near you, check local fitness centers, health clubs, hospitals and community centers. One option for finding live online tai chi classes is through the Tai Chi Foundation.