Effects of 14-Week Tai Ji Quan Exercise on Metabolic Control in Women with Type 2 Diabetes

The present study investigated the effects of 14 weeks of practicing Tai Ji Quan (TJQ) on metabolic control and lipid metabolism in women with type 2 diabetes. Twenty Beijing female residents (57.4 ± 6.2 years) were recruited and were randomly assigned to either the TJQ training or the control group. In the TJQ group, the exercise duration was 1 hour per day and 5 days a week for 14 weeks. FPG, GSP, FPI, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, resting blood pressures and heart rate were measured before and after the 14 weeks in the 2 groups. It was found that after 14 weeks, the TJQ group had significantly lower FPG, GSP, TG and higher FPI concentration, whereas there were no significant differences in TC, HDL-C and LDL-C. It was concluded that TJQ exercise could be used as an intervention tool to improve glycaemic control and serum TG level in the elderly people. Future research with TJQ of different styles and exercise of different intensities were recommended.