A statue that is part of the Tai Chi series by Ju Ming @ JuMing Museum in Taipei
Article reprint from the American Tai Chi & Qigong Association’s online journal “Supreme Chi Living” July 27, 2013
Tai Chi Associated with Reduced Mortality
Moderate-intensity exercise has attracted considerable attention because of its safety and many health benefits. Tai Chi, a form of mind-body exercise that originated in ancient China, has been gaining popularity. Practicing Tai Chi may improve overall health and well-being; however, no study has evaluated its relationship with mortality.
A study recently published by American Journal of Epidemiology assessed the associations of regular exercise and specifically participation in Tai Chi, walking, and jogging with total and cause-specific mortality among 61,477 Chinese men in the Shanghai Men’s Health Study (2002-2009). Information on exercise habits was obtained at baseline using a validated physical activity questionnaire. Deaths were ascertained through biennial home visits and linkage with a vital statistics registry.
During a mean follow-up of 5.48 years, 2,421 deaths were identified. After adjustment for potential confounders, men who exercised regularly and had a hazard ratio for total mortality of 0.80 compared with men who did not exercise. The corresponding hazard ratios were 0.80 for practicing Tai Chi, 0.77 for walking, and 0.73 for jogging. Similar inverse associations were also found for cancer and cardiovascular mortality.
The study provides the first evidence that like walking and jogging, practicing Tai Chi is associated witih reduced mortality.