The Effects of Qigong on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Open accessAbstract
Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Qigong on type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) using the systematic review and meta‐analysis. Methods. All prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials published in English or Chinese and involving the use of Qigong by patients with DM were searched in 7 electronic databases from their respective inception to June 2016. The meta‐analysis was conducted using the Revman 5.2. The quality of the included trials was assessed using the Jadad rating scale. Two researchers independently completed the inclusion, data extraction, and quality assessment. Results. Twenty‐one trials with 1326 patients met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The meta‐analysis demonstrated that, compared with no exercise, the Qigong had significant effects on fasting blood glucose (MD = −0.99, 95% CI (−1.23, 0.75), P < 0.0001), HbA1c (MD = −0.84, 95% CI (−1.02, −0.65), P < 0.0001), and postprandial blood glucose (MD = −1.55, 95% CI (−2.19, −0.91), P < 0.00001). Conclusion. The Qigong training can improve the blood glucose status of the type 2 DM patients and has positive effects on the management of type 2 DM. However, future research with better quality still needs to be conducted to address the effects of Qigong on type 2 DM.
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A review of 16 studies found qigong decreased A1c by 0.8% compared with a non-exercise group but showed no significant difference compared with other aerobic exercise such as jogging or walking.
“A review of 16 studies showed a decrease in A1c of 0.8% compared to the non-exercise group but no significant difference compared to those in other aerobic exercise, like jogging or walking.”
From The Impact of Physical Activity in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes (2025) · cites this paper as [72]
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- Authors
- Meng, D., Chunyan, W., Xiaosheng, D., & Xiangren, Y.
- Affiliations
- Shandong Normal University (CN)
- Venue
- Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2018-01
- Volume
- 2018
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 8182938-8182938
- ISSN
- 1741-427X (ISSN-L)
- 1741-4288
- PMC
- PMC5817377
- OpenAlex
- W2782179743
- Cited by
- 33
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2018: 5
- FWCI
- 0.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (71273157)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Biofield Effects and Biophysics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Medical Research and Treatments
- Keywords
- qigong, type 2 diabetes, blood glucose, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, postprandial blood glucose, exercise therapy, diabetes management
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