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Chronic diseases are frequently associated with persistent low-grade inflammation, partly driven by the nuclear factor kappa B signalling pathway, which regulates the production of pro-inflammatory proteins including interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha. Researchers wanted to examine whether regular Tai Chi practice could dampen this inflammatory activity in people living with chronic conditions.
This systematic review and meta-analysis searched seven databases and ultimately included 20 randomised controlled trials covering a range of conditions spanning oncological, endocrine, respiratory, and neurological disease categories. Change-from-baseline values were pooled using standardised mean differences to assess the overall effect of Tai Chi on these inflammatory gene targets.
The pooled analysis showed that Tai Chi significantly reduced overall nuclear factor kappa B downstream gene expression, with statistically significant reductions observed for both interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha showed a downward trend but did not reach statistical significance. Subgroup analyses suggested that patients with endocrine and respiratory conditions appeared to benefit most. The authors noted the intervention was considered safe and feasible across the included populations. They also highlighted a gap in the literature: few studies have used core nuclear factor kappa B proteins as direct outcome measures, limiting conclusions about the precise biological mechanism.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides cautious evidence that Tai Chi may help reduce certain inflammatory markers in chronic disease patients, though further well-designed trials targeting the nuclear factor kappa B pathway directly are needed to confirm and better explain these effects.
Source: Zhu SQ, Wang H Frontiers in immunology (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42164496) · doi:10.1159/000134225