Efficacy and safety of tai chi exercise on bone health: An umbrella review

Author: Jie Li#1, Jiaojiao Guo#2, Xi Wang#3, Xuanping Zhang1, Yan Zhang1, Ming Bu1, Xiaoguang Yao4, Yanfen She5
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, No. 3 Xingyuan Road, Luquan District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. <sup>2</sup> Hebei Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, China. <sup>3</sup> School of Pharmacy, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, China. <sup>4</sup> Department of Surgery, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, No. 3 Xingyuan Road, Luquan District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. yaoxiaoguang@126.com. <sup>5</sup> School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, No. 3 Xingyuan Road, Luquan District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. sheyanfen@163.com.
Conference/Journal: Osteoporos Int
Date published: 2023 Jul 10
Other: Special Notes: doi: 10.1007/s00198-023-06830-7. , Word Count: 353


Purpose:
To critically evaluate systematic reviews (SRs) of the Tai Chi (TC) exercise on bone health and provide more recently available evidence.

Methods:
SRs with or without meta-analysis (MA) of TC on bone health were comprehensively searched in eight electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Chinese Scientific Journals Database) and in the international prospective register of systematic reviews of (PROSPERO) from initiation to March 2023. Descriptive analyses of SRs were performed, and reporting and methodological quality of the included SRs were evaluated using the updated version of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist and A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2). The certainty of the synthesized evidence was assessed with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Results:
Eighteen SRs, 15 with MAs, were included. Forty-nine RCTs and 16 NRSIs with 3956 and 1157 participants, respectively, were included in these SRs. The reporting quality of the included SRs ranged from high to low, but most received critically low AMSTAR-2 scores. Efficacy of TC on nine bone health biomarkers has been explored, covering bone mineral density (BMD) and serum biomarkers. The results showed that compare to non-intervention, perimenopausal and postmenopausal participants who practiced TC may benefit in BMD of the lumbar spine [MD = 0.04, 95% CI (0.02, 0.07)], and femoral neck [MD = 0.04, 95% CI (0.02, 0.06)], but not BMD of the femoral proximal trochanter [MD = 0.02, 95% CI (0.00, 0.03)], ward's triangle [MD = 0.02, 95% CI (-0.01, 0.04)], and femoral shaft [SMD = 0.16, 95% CI (-0.11, 0.44)]. Elders practicing TC may benefit in BMD of the femoral neck [SMD = 0.28, 95% CI (0.10, 0.45)], femoral proximal trochanter [SMD = 0.39, 95% CI (0.05, 0.73)], and ward's triangle [SMD = 0.21, 95% CI (0.05,0.37)], but may not in BMD of lumbar spine [SMD = 0.03, 95% CI (-0.22, 0.27)].

Conclusion:
We have low certainty that for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, compare to those with no exercise, TC could improve BMD of the lumbar spine, femoral neck. We also have low certainty that in elder population, TC practitioners may benefit in BMD of femoral neck, and Ward's triangle.

Registration:
PROSPERO (CRD42020173543).

Keywords: AMSTAR-2; Bone Mineral Density; Bone health; Fracture; GRADE; Meta-Analysis; Osteoporosis; PRISMA; Systematic Review; Tai Chi.

PMID: 37430003 DOI: 10.1007/s00198-023-06830-7