The effects of tai chi qigong exercise on plasma glucose levels and health status of postpartum Thai women with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Background Postpartum women with type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing cardiovascular complications. Tai chi qigong is one kind of exercise considered to be effective in improving glycaemic control. However, little is known about the health benefits for postpartum women. Objectives This randomised controlled trial was carried out to investigate the effect of tai chi qigong exercise on plasma glucose levels and health status of postpartum women with type 2 diabetes. Methods Sixty‐four participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=32) and control group (n=32). Participants in the intervention group practised a 50‐min tai chi qigong exercise programme, three times a week for 12 weeks during the period of 3–6 months postpartum. The control group received usual care. Results A statistically significant reduction in fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin and blood pressure were seen in the intervention group when compared with the control group (P<0.05) at 12 weeks. Mean fasting plasma glucose in the intervention and control groups at 12 weeks were 120.19 (standard deviation (SD)=17.51) mg/dl and 129.88 (SD=15.23) mg/dl, respectively. There were no significant between‐group differences in body‐weight or body‐mass index at trial completion. Conclusions Tai chi qigong exercise improved glycaemic control and blood pressure in postpartum women with type 2 diabetes. Its use should therefore be considered in clinical and community health services.

Effective strategies for weight loss in post‐partum women: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…The characteristics of the included studies are summarized in Table , six were single‐arm interventions , seven were non‐RCTs and 33 were RCTs . Most studies were conducted in developed countries: Australia ( n = 6); USA ( n = 24); Taiwan ( n = 4); Canada ( n = 3); and Austria, Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Sweden, Japan and UK ( n = 1 for each country) (Table ).…”

“…Participants were recruited from clinics, hospitals, general practices, community centres or via public advertisements. The mean age of the participants ranged from 24 to 36 years (Table ). The recruitment window for women following delivery varied: within the first 3 months ( n = 28); within the first 6 months ( n = 5); and within the first 12 months ( n = 13) (Table ).…”

“…The recruitment window for women following delivery varied: within the first 3 months ( n = 28); within the first 6 months ( n = 5); and within the first 12 months ( n = 13) (Table ). A minority of studies used selected post‐natal populations – exclusive breastfeeding ( n = 7), a history of gestational diabetes ( n = 4) and type 2 diabetes ( n = 1) .…”

An evaluation of the impact of lifestyle interventions on body weight in postpartum women: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…24,[28][29][30][31] Twelve studies recruited participants with overweight or obesity at baseline (i.e., in the postpartum period), 28,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] five studies recruited women with overweight or obesity according to prepregnancy BMI, 40,[42][43][44][45] one study recruited women with excessive gestational weight gain of more than 6Á8 kg, 46 three recruited only those with postnatal depression, 24,47,48 four recruited only women with a history of gestational diabetes, 27,39,41,49 and one recruited only those with type 2 diabetes. 50 The remaining studies recruited from the general postpartum population.…”

Health Improving Chinese Gymnastics Taijiquan. 1. Presentation of a Science Metric Databases Web of Science and Scopus

“…К такому же выводы пришли R. Chang, M. Koo, C. Kan, Z. Yu, I. Chu, C. Hsu, C. Chen, исследовавшие внедрение тайцзицюань в про-цесс восстановления пациентов с ишемиче-ской болезнью сердца [49].…”