The optimal exercise parameters of Tai Chi on the effect of glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the optimal exercise parameters of Tai Chi for improving glucose and lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. METHODS: This meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the reporting guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Six databases were retrieved, with retrieval dates ranging from the establishment of the databases to December 2022. Data extraction and study quality assessment were independently performed by two researchers according to the Physical Therapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. The effects of different Tai Chi exercise parameters on glucose and lipid metabolism in T2DM patients were analyzed by subgroup analyses and meta-regressions. RESULTS: A total of sixteen randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated that Tai Chi had a significant and moderate impact on fasting blood glucose in T2DM patients, as well as a significant and large impact on glycosylated hemoglobin. Tai Chi had a significant and moderate impact on triglyceride, and a small, non-significant improvement on total cholesterol. The intervention frequency and duration of a single session were identified as predictors of the impact of Tai Chi on triglyceride. The optimal exercise parameters identified were the 24-style simplified Tai Chi, with a recommended exercise duration of 45-60 min per session, performed 5-7 times per week, and continued for at least 4-7 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Tai Chi can significantly improve the glucose and lipid metabolism in T2DM patients, and the 24-style simplified Tai Chi with high exercise frequency and short duration may be the optimal exercise parameter for enhancing glucose and lipid metabolism. PROSPERO: Registration number: CRD42023395282.

Synergistic Effect of Rhodiola rosea and Caffeine Supplementation on the Improvement of Muscle Strength and Muscular Endurance: A Pilot Study for Rats, Resistance Exercise-Untrained and -Trained Volunteers.

Multi-level studies have shown that Rhodiola rosea (RHO) and Caffeine (CAF) have the potential to be nutritional supplements to enhance physical performance in resistance exercise-untrained and -trained subjects. This study examined the synergistic effects of RHO (262.7 mg/kg for rats and 2.4 g for volunteers) and CAF (19.7 mg/kg for rats and 3 mg/kg for volunteers) supplementation on improving physical performance in rats, resistance exercise-untrained volunteers and resistance exercise-trained volunteers. Rats and volunteers were randomly grouped into placebo, CAF, RHO and CAF+RHO and administered accordingly with the nutrients during the training procedure, and pre- and post-measures were collected. We found that RHO+CAF was effective in improving forelimb grip strength (13.75%), erythropoietin (23.85%), dopamine (12.65%) and oxygen consumption rate (9.29%) in the rat model. Furthermore, the current results also indicated that the combination of RHO+CAF significantly increased the bench press one-repetition maximum (1RM) (16.59%), deep squat 1RM (15.75%), maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) (14.72%) and maximum repetitions of 60% 1RM bench press (22.15%) in resistance exercise-untrained volunteers. Additionally, despite the excellent base level of the resistance exercise-trained volunteers, their deep squat 1RM and MVIC increased substantially through the synergistic effect of RHO and CAF. In conclusion, combined supplementation of RHO+CAF is more beneficial in improving the resistance exercise performance for both resistance exercise-untrained and -trained volunteers. The present results provide practical evidence that the synergies of RHO and CAF could serve as potential supplementary for individuals, especially resistance exercise-trained subjects, to ameliorate their physical performances effectively and safely.