Journal of Advanced Diabetes Research

Abstract

Background: Tai chi and qigong are long standing practices within traditional Chinese medicine that have been increasingly studied as adjunctive therapies for a wide range of medical conditions, including diabetes. Artificial intelligence tools now provide new opportunities to accelerate literature retrieval and evidence synthesis in this field.

Methods: A targeted search of the PubMed database was conducted to identify recent clinical trials, observational studies, reviews and meta analyses in which tai chi or qigong were used to treat patients with diabetes or prediabetes. An artificial intelligence assistant (Perplexity) was instructed to summarize each eligible study, focusing on population characteristics, intervention protocols (including tai chi or qigong style, frequency, session duration and total program length), outcomes and main findings; all AI generated summaries were then reviewed and edited by the author.

Results: The identified literature included narrative reviews, scoping reviews, randomized controlled trials, a case report and large scale observational studies. Across studies, tai chi and qigong interventions were most commonly based on Yang style 24 form tai chi or standardized health qigong sets, delivered 2–5 times per week in 30–60 minute sessions over 8–24 weeks, with some longer programs extending to six months. Reported benefits in adults with type 2 diabetes and related conditions included modest reductions in fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c, improvements in cognitive function and balance in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, reductions in anxiety and perceived stress, and favorable changes in inflammatory markers and gut microbiota indices. Several reviews concluded that traditional Chinese exercise therapies appear safe and may be useful as complementary interventions, although heterogeneity in protocols and outcomes limits definitive clinical recommendations

Conclusion: This AI assisted review suggests that tai chi and qigong, as components of traditional Chinese medicine, hold promise as low risk adjunctive therapies for patients with diabetes and prediabetes, particularly older adults and those with comorbid cognitive or psychological conditions. By systematically summarizing recent studies and highlighting common dosing parameters, the present article may help clinicians and researchers design and implement tai chi and qigong protocols that are both feasible and clinically relevant. The use of artificial intelligence for literature retrieval and synthesis can further enhance the efficiency and transparency of research at the interface between traditional Chinese medicine and Western diabetes care..