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Holistic frailty prevention: The promise of movement-based mind-body therapies

Julia Loewenthal1, Michelle J Berning2, Peter M Wayne3,4

  • 1Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Aging Cell
|September 12, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Aging leads to frailty, a decline in body systems. Movement-based mind-body therapies like tai chi and yoga show promise for preventing and treating frailty by addressing multiple aging hallmarks.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology and cellular aging research.
  • Integrative medicine and mind-body therapies.

Background:

  • Aging is a complex process marked by cellular and molecular changes leading to physiological decline.
  • Frailty, a state of reduced physiological reserve and multisystem dysregulation, is a common outcome of aging.
  • Single-system interventions are often insufficient for managing frailty.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the relationship between the hallmarks of aging and the development of frailty.
  • To explore how movement-based mind-body therapies, specifically tai chi and yoga, may influence these aging hallmarks.
  • To summarize existing evidence on the efficacy of tai chi and yoga in preventing and treating frailty in older adults.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing current understanding of aging hallmarks and frailty.
  • Analysis of the theoretical mechanisms by which tai chi and yoga might impact aging processes.
  • Systematic review of clinical trial data investigating tai chi and yoga interventions for frailty.

Main Results:

  • Aging hallmarks contribute to the multisystem dysregulation characteristic of frailty.
  • Tai chi and yoga possess inherent multicomponent properties that can address multiple aging hallmarks simultaneously.
  • Evidence suggests tai chi and yoga interventions can positively impact frailty markers in older populations.

Conclusions:

  • Multimodal interventions are crucial for addressing frailty due to its complex, multisystem nature.
  • Tai chi and yoga are promising, evidence-supported multimodal strategies for frailty prevention and management.
  • Further research is warranted to optimize and expand the application of these therapies in aging populations.
Keywords:
agingfrailtygerosciencemind-bodytai chiyoga

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