Chinese Tai Chi and Body Immunity

At rest, the total number of T-lymphocytes and the number of active T-lymphocytes were increased significantly in the Tai chi group compared with the controls (14). Immediately after a bout of Tai Chi (88 style), a marked increase of active T-lymphocytes occurred. In conclusion, the results indicate that frequent Tai Chi exercise causes an increase of T-lymphocytes in the blood.

In one study (15), Dr. Irwin and associates recruited 36 subjects, all of whom were at least 60 years old and had chickenpox earlier in life, but not shingles. Half of the patients were randomly selected to participate in a tai chi group and the remaining and acted as a control group. A simplified form of Tai Chi, tai chi chih (TCC), was used. It consisted of 20 simple, repetitive movements, designed for older adults. TCC was practiced three times a week for 15 consecutive weeks, for a total of 45 sessions.

There were increased levels of memory T-cells in the TCC group . On average, the scientists found "a nearly 50 percent increase" of varicella virus responder cells in TCC patients from the start of the study to the one-week post-TCC period. Physical improvements also were noted in the TCC patients.

Another study by Dr. Irwin et al. (16), concluded that Tai Chi may help older adults avoid getting shingles by increasing immunity to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and boosting the immune response to varicella vaccine in older adults. Tai Chi alone was found to increase participants’ immunity to varicella as much as the vaccine typically produces in 30- to 40-year-old adults, and Tai Chi combined with the vaccine produced a significantly higher level of immunity, about a 40 percent increase, over that produced by the vaccine alone. The 25 week studies also showed that the Tai Chi group’s rate of increase in immunity was double that of the health education (control) group. The Tai Chi and health education groups’ VCV immunity had been similar when the study began. In addition, the Tai Chi group reported significant improvements in physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality and mental health. Both groups showed significant declines in the severity of depressive symptoms.

Previous studies have suggested that Tai Chi may improve immune function. The study (17) was intended to examine whether 5 months of moderate Tai Chi and Qigong (TQ) practice could improve the immune response to influenza vaccine in older adults. It concluded that traditional TQ practice improves the antibody response to influenza vaccine in older adults. However, further study is needed to determine whether the enhanced response is sufficient to provide definitive protection from influenza infection.

Regular tai chi chuan exercise over 12 weeks increased functional mobility of middle aged participants, and increased the ratio of T helper cells to suppressor cells, while increasing growth factor beta and interleuckin 10 under antigen stimulation (18).

Exhaustive exercise can be associated with short-term immune suppression, but moderate exercise such as Tai Chi (TC) has been shown to have beneficial effects on immunity. The mechanisms for the health benefits of exercise remain to be determined, and no potential biomarkers for these beneficial health effects have been identified. This study (19) investigated serum proteomic markers in individuals participating in TC exercise. It was found that there was an increase in complement factor H associated with a decrease in complement factor B. Complement factor H is involved in protection from microangiopathy and macular degeneration and may represent a useful marker of the health effects of exercise.