Stort term tai chi for diabetes program fails to find significant decrease insulin resistance.

University of Sydney, Australia 2007

Effects of Tai Chi on glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in older adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomised double-blind sham-exercise-controlled trial.

In this study 38 individuals were randomly assigned to 16-week of 2 a times per week tai chi for diabetes program or to a sham exercise program. The study found no statistically significant difference in insulin resistance or A1C as measured 72 hours after exercise.  (The tai chi group did have a slight reduction in AIC compared to a slight increase in the sham exercise group.) The study found no adverse events. The only statistically significant differences between the tai chi group and the sham exercise group was that the tai chi group had improved balance and gait speed. The authors concluded that “this Tai Chi form, although developed specifically for diabetes, may not have been of sufficient intensity, frequency, or duration to effect positive changes in many aspects of physiology or health status relevant to older people with diabetes.”