Can Tai Chi Help Reduce Waist Size?
Written by Timothy Huzar  Fact checked by Alexandra Sanfins, Ph.D. In a new study, researchers conclude that tai chi is as effective as conventional exercise at reducing peoples waist circumference. The research, which appears in the Annals of Internal Medicine, provides evidence for including tai chi in global physical activity guidelines. Waist circumference According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with obesity are at greater risk of developing serious conditions, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Doctors determine the presence of obesity by measuring a persons body mass index (BMI). This is the ratio between their height and their weight. However, researchers suggest that the location of fat deposits in the body  particularly in a persons abdomen, known as central obesity  is also a risk factor for disease. Furthermore, a person who does not have obesity may still have significant enough fat deposits in their abdomen for this to be a risk factor. An effective proxy for determining the amount of fat deposits in a persons abdomen is to measure their waist circumference. According to a report on this topic, decreases in waist circumference are a critically important treatment target for reducing adverse health risks for both men and women.  The rise of tai chi Tai chi is a mind-body practice that originated in China, and it is particularly popular throughout Asia. Tai chi (so-called moving meditation) combines breathing and meditation, and it is becoming increasingly popular in the rest of the world, with, as of 2007, over 2 million people practicing it in the United States. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, tai chi involves certain postures and gentle movements with mental focus, breathing, and relaxation. It can be helpful for improving balance and stability and reducing back and knee pain. Tai chi is a low impact form of physical activity, so it could be of value for people who may find it difficult to do more vigorous exercise. However, its value in reducing waist circumference specifically has not been clear. Over 500 participants  To address this, a team of researchers in Hong Kong conducted a study. Between February 27, 2016, and March 17, 2018, the researchers recruited people over the age of 50 years with central obesity. In total, 543 people agreed to take part in the study. The researchers then randomly assigned these participants to one of three groups of equal numbers. The first group took a 12-week, instructor-led tai chi course and met for 1 hour three times each week. The second group took an instructor-led moderate exercise class, meeting three times each week for 1 hour over 12 weeks. The class involved brisk walking and muscle strengthening. The researchers did not give the third group any physical activity to do, so this group acted as a control. The scientists measured the participants: waist circumference  body weight  BMI  high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level  triglyceride level  plasma glucose level  blood pressure They took these measurements three times: once before the intervention, once on completion of the intervention, and once 6 months after the completion of the intervention. Waist circumference reduction  The researchers found that the waist circumference of the participants in the tai chi and conventional exercise groups reduced relative to that of those in the control group, with neither showing a statistically significant difference from the other. The tai chi and conventional exercise groups also saw a slowing down of the decrease of HDL cholesterol levels, which is a positive sign regarding a persons metabolic health. Body mass was also slightly reduced for the tai chi and conventional exercise groups. Other measures of metabolic health did not change, however. Corresponding study author Dr. Parco M. Siu, from the University of Hong Kong in Pok Fu Lam, told Medical News Today that although some previous preliminary research suggested that tai chi led to favorable changes in cardiometabolic parameters, our study did not replicate the beneficial effects on those parameters in older adults with central obesity, except for HDL [cholesterol]. It could be due to the specific inclusion criterion (i.e., central obesity) in our study or the different combinations of cardiometabolic parameters that existed in our participants at baseline. Further research addressing how cardiovascular risk factors affect tai chis effects on metabolic parameters are needed.