Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Tai Chi May Help Improve Markers of Pre-Diabetes

Tai Chi May Help Improve Markers of Pre-Diabetes
By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage TodayPublished: April 01, 2008Reviewed by
Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

BRISBANE, Australia, April 1 -- For patients at risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, the Chinese exercises Tai Chi and Qigong may improve clinical parameters associated with the conditions, two small studies suggested.
Action Points --->
Explain to patients that ancient exercises may help improve metabolic markers of pre-diabetes and may be more acceptable to patients compared with other forms of physical activity.
Note that the findings came from studies involving small numbers of patients.
After 12 weeks of regular Tai Chi and Qigong exercises, 11 patients with hyperglycemia had significant improvement in body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure, Xin Liu, Ph.D., of the University of Queensland, and colleagues, reported online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Additionally, glycosylated hemoglobin, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance all decreased.

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