Baduanjin may help memory but not focus in older adults

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   1027 people over 45 took part in 14 trials, most of them over 60. Eight trials enrolled people with memory or thinking problems; the rest enrolled healthy people or people with other long-term illnesses.

2. 02

   What they did

   People did Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise, for 30 to 60 minutes, 3 to 7 times a week. The programmes lasted 1.5 to 12 months. Most trials compared it with usual activity, health education or usual care, and three added it to other care.

3. 03

   What happened

   Compared with the other groups, people who did Baduanjin scored higher on memory and thinking tests. They also did better on a processing-speed test, but two computer attention tests (109 people) showed no clear difference. The paper's trial counts don't match, and in every trial people knew their group, which can bias results.

What the review found

1. No difference

   In 2 studies, Baduanjin did not change reaction times on an attention test, compared with other groups.

   Pooled analysis of 2 studies with 109 people · vs people who kept usual activity or had health education · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws

2. No difference

   In the same 2 studies, Baduanjin did not change scores on a second attention test, compared with the other groups.

   Pooled analysis of 2 studies with 109 people · vs people who kept usual activity or had health education · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws

Source