The Impact of Qigong Baduanjin on Cognitive Function & Mental State in Patients with type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the clinic efficacy of Qigong Baduanjin (QBDJ) on cognition and mental status in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: sixty-seven type 2 diabetic patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (31 males and 36 females; aged 47-68 years; the educational background of all participants were above middle school) were screened and randomly divided into two groups: the QBDJ group (n=34), and the control group (n=33). Both groups were based on the routine treatment of diabetes. The QBDJ group received Baduanjin excise forty minutes a time and five times per week for three months, whereas the control group without special exercise intervention. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) were used to evaluate the change of cognitive function and mental status in all patients. All data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics for Windows v 17.0. Group differences in baseline characteristics were tested using the χ;2 test and the T test. For the outcome measures, independent-sample T test was performed to compare the changes between the QBDJ and control groups. The paired T test was used to compare the effects before and after treatment. The level of significance was established at p;=0.05. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the scores of MoCA and HAMA between two groups before the intervention. After 3 months of Baduanjin practice, the total score of MoCA, the score of visuospatial/executive, and the score of delayed recall were significantly higher in the QBDJ group than in the control group (P<0.05). QBDJ training also contributed to improving the ability of emotion regulation. Compared with the control group, participants in the QBDJ group had significantly lower total HAMA score (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that regular QBDJ exercise can effectively improve cognitive function and produce positive effects on mental state in type 2 diabetic patients with MCI.TABLE 1.: COMPARISION OF SCORES FOR ALL MoCA SUBTESTS IN TWO GROUPSTABLE 2.: COMPARISION OF HAMA SCORE IN TWO GROUPS