A study has revealed that practicing China's traditional mind-body exercises can improve one's health, particularly in people suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

Chen Pei-Jie from Shanghai University of Sport in China led the team of researchers, who carried ot the study. The researchers conducted up to 35 studies and investigated more than 2,000 individuals from 10 various countries.

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The study revealed that for people who suffer from heart diseases, practicing traditional Chinese exercises (such as Baduanjin, Qigong and Tai Chi) helped in lowering the systolic blood pressure - a measurement of the pressure on the arteries when the muscle of the heart is contracting - by an average of more than 9.12 mmHg. Meanwhile, diastolic pressure - a measurement of the pressure on the arteries when the muscle of the heart is at rest - lowered at an average of over 5 mmHg.

Given the results, the research team suggests that traditional Chinese exercises, which give emphasis on breathing, posture and meditation, are helpful in reducing people's risk of stroke and coronary heart disease by up to 41 and 22 percent, respectively.

Although the figures shown were small, these exercises could also help in lowering down bad cholesterol and triglycerides levels.

In addition, there was an increase in the quality of life of people with cardiovascular disease who practice Chinese exercises. These exercises have also shown positive results in patients with depression. But no significant changes were noted in the heart rate and aerobic fitness level or improvement in the general health questionnaire's scores.

Of note, the researchers stressed that their study had some limitations. They admitted that their study did not look into the long-term effects of these exercises, and future studies should include more specific studies at each subgroups.

However, the team pointed out that they studied traditional Chinese exercises for more than five years before reaching the conclusion that they are beneficial for patients with cardiovascular illnesses. The researchers are planning to go unto further research and confirm the results.  

TagsTai Chi, Baduanjin, Qigong, Chinese traditional exercise, cardiovascular disease, healthy lifestyle, Health news