The Rundown

Tai Chi For Low BP. A new study has found that tai chi—the practice of slow, gentle movements and controlled breathing, is significantly more effective than aerobic exercise at lowering blood pressure in 18 to 65 year-olds with prehypertension.

Prehypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure of 80 to 89 mmHg. It can lead to an increased risk of hypertension or high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attack.

Researchers recruited 349 participants aged 18 to 65 with prehypertension and put them into either a tai chi group or an aerobic exercise group. Both groups participated in four, hour-long supervised sessions a week for one year. The tai chi group performed 24 standard movements or forms and the aerobic exercise group climbed stairs, jogged, briskly walked and cycled.

The participants’ blood pressure was assessed at baseline and at six and 12 months. The primary result was the mean change in systolic blood pressure from baseline to 12 months, measured in an office setting and while walking.

After 12 months, the change in the tai chi group’s systolic blood pressure was -7.01 mmHg compared to -4.61 mmHg in the aerobic exercise group. Almost 22% of the tai chip group showed blood pressure within the normal range without medications at the end of the study while 15.6% of the aerobic group showed the same.

The team says a potential explanation for the results is that tai chi reduces the excitability of the sympathetic nervous system and causes a relaxing effect.

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