More beautiful with Tai Ji

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) Taiwanese researchers have identified one possible reason that practitioners of the martial art tai chi tout its health benefits: shadow boxing apparently reinvigorates stem cells.

In a study published in the international medical journal Cell Transplantation, a research team found that tai chi can increase the number of stem cells in practitioners.

Lin Hsin-jung, a neural surgeon and head of China Medical University Beigang Hospital in southern Taiwan, said Saturday that his team’s research has been selected as the cover story for the latest issue of the journal.

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) Taiwanese researchers have identified one possible reason that practitioners of the martial art tai chi tout its health benefits: shadow boxing apparently reinvigorates stem cells.

In a study published in the international medical journal Cell Transplantation, a research team found that tai chi can increase the number of stem cells in practitioners.

Lin Hsin-jung, a neural surgeon and head of China Medical University Beigang Hospital in southern Taiwan, said Saturday that his team’s research has been selected as the cover story for the latest issue of the journal.

Seeking to roll back the clock? Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese martial art, may be the answer.

A new study published in Cell Transplantation found that Tai Chi can help raise the numbers of a stem cell -- CD34 cells -- important to a number of the body's functions and structures.

To evaluate the potential life-lengthening effect of Tai Chi, researchers conducted a year-long study comparing the rejuvenating and anti-aging effects among three groups of volunteers under age 25 who engaged in either Tai Chi, brisk walking or no exercise at all.

"We used young volunteers because they have better cell-renewing abilities than the old population and we also wanted to avoid having chronic diseases and medications as interfering factors," said study author Dr. Shinn-Zong Lin of the China Medical University Hospital, Taiwan, in a release.

According to the study's authors, Tai Chi "has been confirmed to benefit" patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease and fibromyalgia. In addition, Tai Chi also appears to help with balance, blood pressure and stress reduction.

The new study found that those who practiced Tai Chi enjoyed a significantly higher number of CD34 cells than those in the other groups.

"This study provides the first step into providing scientific evidence for the possible health benefits of Tai Chi." said Dr. Paul R. Sanberg of the University of South Florida, Tampa, in a release. "Further study of how Tai Chi can elicit benefit in different populations and on different parameters of aging are necessary to determine its full impact."

Yet over the years, many studies have linked Tai Chi with various health benefits.

For example, one study from 2012 found that Tai Chi can give your memory a boost.Indeed scientists found that elderly Chinese people who practiced Tai Chi just three times a week for eight months performed better on memory tests than those who didn't do Tai Chi.

Still another study from 2012 -- this one involving people with Parkinson's -- found that Tai Chi improved balance and lowered the risk of falls.

Tai Chi, which originated over 2,000 years ago in China, emphasizes breathing and involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner.

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

original abstract below by pubmed

Cell Transplant. 2014;23(4-5):613-20. 

Tai Chi intervention increases progenitor CD34(+) cells in young adults.

Ho TJ1, Ho LI, Hsueh KW, Chan TM, Huang SL, Lin JG, Liang WM, Hsu WH, Harn HJ, Lin SZ.

Author information

Abstract

Tai Chi has been shown to have many great health benefits. However, few research attempts have been made to explore the effects of practicing TCC on life span. This study provides direct evidence of Tai Chi's antiaging effects. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to compare the rejuvenating and antiaging effects among Tai Chi group (TCC) and brisk walking group (BW) and no exercise habit group (NEH). Thirty-two participants were selected out of a possible 60 based on a survey, and they were separated into three groups: the TCC group (practicing for more than 1 year), the BW group (practicing for more than 1 year), and the NEH group. The CD34(+) cell counts in peripheral blood of the participants was determined, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate and compare the antiaging effects of the three groups. Of the 32 participants in this study, the participants in the TCC group (N = 10) outperformed the NEH group (N = 12) with respect to the number of CD34(+) progenitor cells. No significant difference was found between the TCC group and the BW group. TCC practice sustained for more than 1 year may be an intervention against aging as effective as BW in terms of its benefits on the improvement of CD34(+) number.