Tai Chi Reduces Systemic Inflammation in Practitioners

A vast number of studies have been performed to evaluate the health benefits of Tai Chi.  Research has shown Tai Chi to have beneficial effects on balance and coordination, inflammation, immunity, circulation and overall well-being.  In recent years more and more studies have been performed looking at health benefits from Tai Chi in populations that are at risk from or simply cannot perform more stress cardiovascular exercise.  Researchers from the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience recently conducted a study looking at the effects of Tai Chi Chih (a specific form of Tai Chi, of which there are many) on inflammatory markers in older adults. 

In disease states such as diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and alzheimers among others they are mitigated in part by systemic inflammation.  One of the blood markers for inflammation is interleukin 6 (IL-6) and this is what was focused on in their study.  They looked at levels of physical activity, quality of mood and sleep among other biochemical measurements.

Researchers compared Tai Chi exercise with health education and they found significant differences within the Tai Chi group.  They found drops in inflammatory markers (IL-6) along with improvements in mood, sleep, and overall energy.  They concluded that Tai Chi is a beneficial modality for those with systemic inflammatory diseases.