Mind-Body Exercises Including Tai Chi Show Benefits for Stable COPD, Though Comparative Effects Remain Uncertain

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This Bayesian network meta-analysis examined the effects of six mind-body exercise modalities — Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing, yoga, Liu Zi Jue, Tai Chi, and Wu Qin Xi — on lung function, exercise capacity, and quality of life in adults with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers searched eight English and Chinese databases up to April 2026 and included 111 randomised controlled trials involving 9,240 participants, comparing each mind-body exercise against usual care.

All six modalities demonstrated potential benefits across at least some outcomes. Yoga ranked highest for improving forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity, while Wu Qin Xi ranked highest for the ratio of forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity, percentage-predicted forced expiratory volume, and six-minute walk distance. Tai Chi, along with yoga and Yi Jin Jing, showed favourable rankings for certain quality-of-life outcomes as measured by standardised respiratory questionnaires.

The authors urge caution in interpreting these rankings. Most trials compared individual mind-body exercises against usual care rather than against each other directly, the number of trials supporting each modality varied considerably, certainty of evidence differed across comparisons, and the vast majority of included trials were conducted in China, which may limit wider generalisability. Further high-quality, head-to-head randomised controlled trials are needed.

Conclusion: Mind-body exercises, including Tai Chi, appear beneficial for lung function, exercise capacity, and quality of life in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but the comparative superiority of any single modality remains uncertain pending more robust direct evidence.

Source: Ma M, Liu D, Li X and colleagues. International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42967144) · doi:10.2147/COPD.S643538

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