Tai Chi May Slow the Aging Process Via CD 34+ cells
Once again traditional or ancient practices turn out to have merit. Tai Chi is a good exercise for almost anyone. Barely a martial art-No violence, low impact motion that promotes balance and various motor skills.
Tai Chi intervention increases number of CD34+ cells in young adults
Putnam Valley, NY. (May 28, 2014) - Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art and sport, has been found to be beneficial in raising the numbers of an important type of cell when three groups of young people were tested to discover the benefits of Tai Chi, brisk walking or no exercise. The group performing Tai Chi saw a rise in their cluster of differentiation 34 expressing (CD34+) cells, a stem cell important to a number of the body’s functions and structures.
The study was published in issue 23(4/5) of Cell Transplantation and is freely available on-line at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/2014/00000023/F0020004/art00020.
“To evaluate the potential life-lengthening effect of Tai Chi, we conducted a year-long, retrospective cross-sectional study comparing the rejuvenating and anti-aging effects among three groups of volunteers under the age of 25 who engaged in either Tai Chi (TCC), brisk walking (BW), or no exercise habit (NEH),” said study corresponding author Dr. Shinn-Zong Lin of the Center for Neuropsychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. “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.”
According to the authors, Tai Chi “has been confirmed to benefit” patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease and fibromyalgia. In addition, they cite possible advantages of Tai Chi in pain reduction, fall prevention and balance improvement, aerobic capacity, blood pressure, quality of life and stress reduction.
More: Can Tai Chi Slow the Aging Process?
Tai chi has given 80-year-old Marianne Padgett a strong, steady stride and something more.
A car crash in June 2003 left her with injuries that forced her to give up work as a therapist and other activities she loved. Because of lingering balance problems, some days she wouldn’t get out of bed for fear she’d slip and fall.About a year ago, Padgett, who lives in Atlanta, started to take tai chi, a Chinese martial arts form, which had been modified to help seniors improve their balance. She found that the gentle exercise helped steady her movements.
Freedom: That’s something most of us take for granted every day. But seniors will tell you just how important that freedom is. Tai chi has given Padgett the confidence to go about her daily activities without the paralyzing fear that she’s one step away from a bad fall.