Baduanjin lowers SBP in individuals with high-normal BP

A traditional Chinese qigong exercise, Baduanjin, has been shown in a recent study to reduce systolic blood pressure (SBP) after 3 months of intervention in people with high-normal BP.

Furthermore, the BP-lowering effect of baduanjin lasts up to a year without monitoring, and its efficacy is comparable to that of brisk walking.

A total of 216 individuals (mean age 57.3 years, 64.8 percent women) with SBP 130‒139 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP 85‒89 mm Hg were randomized 2:1:1 to the baduanjin (n=108), self-directed exercise alone (n=54), or brisk walking (n=54) arms for a 52-week intervention.

Changes in 24-h SBP from baseline to 12 and 52 weeks served as the primary outcome. The authors performed intention-to-treat analyses of primary outcomes following a hierarchical testing sequence: 1) superiority of baduanjin vs self-directed exercise alone at 12 weeks; 2) superiority of baduanjin vs self-directed exercise alone at 52 weeks; and 3) superiority of baduanjin vs brisk walking at 52 weeks.

Participants in the baduanjin arm showed a significantly greater decrease in 24-h SBP than those in the self-directed exercise alone arm at 12 weeks (‒3.1 mm Hg, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], ‒5.9 to ‒0.2; p=0.036) and 52 weeks (‒3.3 mm Hg, 95 percent CI, ‒6.3 to ‒0.3; p=0.031).

No significant difference was seen between the baduanjin and brisk walking arms at 52 weeks (‒0.7 mm Hg, 95 percent CI, ‒3.9 to 2.6; p0.683). These effects were not heterogeneous across subgroups.

Moreover, adverse events did not significant differ across the three arms.