SynthesisBMC complementary medicine and therapies2023
Effects of Baduanjin exercise on the physical function of middle-aged and elderly people: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Optimal exercise parameters of Baduanjin for improving glycemic and lipid control in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Baduanjin exercise on sleep quality, depressive symptoms, quality of life, and body composition in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Mind-Body Exercise in Older Adults With Sarcopenia and Frailty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Pooled it
- Baduanjin exercise improves functional capacity and cardiovascular function in older adults with cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Optimal exercise parameters of Baduanjin for balance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Baduanjin exercise on cognitive impairment in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Tai Chi and Baduanjin on muscle mass, muscle function, and activities of daily living in individuals with sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Comparative effectiveness of traditional Chinese exercises for knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate injection for the adjunctive therapy of pulmonary heart disease.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Pooled it
- The effect of Ba Duan Jin exercise intervention on cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- A randomized controlled trial of seated Baduanjin and elastic band training on sleep and psychological needs in older wheelchair users.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Combined Effect of 12 Weeks Baduanjin and Tri-Ball Respiratory Training as a Home-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Subjects With Moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial.Rehabilitation nursing : the official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses · 2025Trial
- Effect of Baduanjin exercise on sarcopenia in older adult patients: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2025Trial
- Effects of qigong and resistance exercise on improving balance and cognitive ability of community-dwelling older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The association between community age-friendly facility diversity, types, leisure activities and frailty in Chinese older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Article
- Effects of Mind-Body Qigong Exercise on Overall Health, Fatigue/Sleep, and Cognition in Older Chinese Immigrants in the US: An Intervention Study with Control.Journal of aging research · 2024Article
- Influence of Baduanjin on cardiopulmonary function in long-term practitioners and beginners.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background and purposeChinese mind-body exercise-Baduanjin has received increasing attention for health promotion among middle-aged and older adults in China, but there is a lack of high-quality evidence on its effectiveness. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of Baduanjin on physical function in middle-aged and older adults.
methodsSeven electronic databases were searched for articles published before 22 June 2021 with the keywords Baduanjin exercise combined with physical-function-related outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed in the included studies, and data were analyzed using Review Manager software V5.3.
resultsFifteen articles, including 14 randomized controlled trials, were included in this study. The results of the meta-analysis showed that Baduanjin significantly improved muscle strength (grip strength: SMD = 0.63, 95% CI 0.22 to 1.04, p = 0.003), balance ability (timed up-and-go test score: MD = -2.21, 95% CI -3.91 to -0.51, p = 0.01; one-leg stand test score: MD = 3.75, 95% CI 1.96 to 5.55, p < 0.0001; Berg balance scale score: MD = 4.16, 95% CI 2.49 to 5.83, p < 0.00001; strengthening Romberg's test result: SMD = 1.02, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.86, p = 0.02); and cardiorespiratory fitness (diastolic blood pressure: MD = -3.62, 95% CI -3.95 to -3.30, p < 0.00001; resting heart rate: MD = -1.30, 95% CI -1.57 to -1.03, p < 0.00001; step test: MD = 4.25, 95% CI 0.76 to 7.74, p = 0.02). No adverse events were reported.
conclusionsBaduanjin exercise may be an effective intervention to improve physical function in the middle-aged and elderly population. However, more RCTs with larger sample sizes and more rigorous research designs are needed in the future to confirm the results.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.