Tai chi and heart rate: research overview

Not medical advice. This page lists research about tai chi and heart rate. It does not say whether tai chi works for any person or condition. Talk to a qualified health professional before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have a medical condition.

Studies in PubMed

26 (tagged with “Heart Rate” as a major topic)

Years

1989–2026

Registered trials

0 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Types of studies

Each study is counted once, under its strongest type in this order: meta-analysis, systematic review, randomized controlled trial, clinical trial, review, observational study.

Studies, newest first

1. Effect of Tai Chi and Qigong on Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Examining Baseline Autonomic Function and Intervention Complexity as Moderators in Adults. — Complementary medicine research, 2026 · DOIMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
2. Effects of a Tai Chi dance intervention on the autonomic nervous system in university students. — Medicine, 2025 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
3. Effectiveness of Resistance Band Use in Conjunction With Tai Chi Among Older Adults With Prefrailty to Improve Functional Fitness, Quality of Life, and Heart Rate Variability. — Journal of gerontological nursing, 2024 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
4. Impact of a Precision Intervention for Vascular Health in Middle-Aged and Older Postmenopausal Women Using Polar Heart Rate Sensors: A 24-Week RCT Study Based on the New Compilation of Tai Chi (Bafa Wubu). — Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 2024 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
5. Tai Chi Effects on Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. — Journal of integrative and complementary medicine, 2024 · DOIMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
6. Complexity-Based Measures of Heart Rate Dynamics in Older Adults Following Long- and Short-Term Tai Chi Training: Cross-sectional and Randomized Trial Studies. — Scientific reports, 2019 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
7. Effectiveness of Tai Chi on Cardiac Autonomic Function and Symptomatology in Women With Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. — Journal of aging and physical activity, 2018 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
8. How Heart Rate Should Be Controlled in Patients with Atherosclerosis and Heart Failure. — Current atherosclerosis reports, 2018 · DOIReview
9. The Effects of Tai Chi on Heart Rate Variability in Older Chinese Individuals with Depression. — International journal of environmental research and public health, 2018 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
10. Acute Effects of T'ai Chi Chuan Exercise on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Peripheral Artery Disease Patients. — Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2016 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
11. Effects of Tai Chi exercise on heart rate variability. — Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 2016 · DOIReview
12. Increased first and second pulse harmonics in Tai Chi Chuan practitioners. — BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2016 · DOI
13. Tai Chi Chuan modulates heart rate variability during abdominal breathing in elderly adults. — PsyCh journal, 2016 · DOI
14. Energy expenditure and cardiovascular responses to Tai Chi Easy. — Complementary therapies in medicine, 2015 · DOI
15. Breathing frequency-independent effect of Tai Chi Chuan on autonomic modulation. — Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society, 2014 · DOIClinical Trial
16. Effect of skill level on cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses during Tai Chi training. — European journal of sport science, 2013 · DOI
17. Effect of Tai Chi training on baroreflex sensitivity and heart rate variability in patients with coronary heart disease. — International heart journal, 2010Randomized Controlled Trial
18. Effects of Tai Chi rehabilitation on heart rate responses in patients with coronary artery disease. — The American journal of Chinese medicine, 2010
19. Tai chi/yoga effects on anxiety, heartrate, EEG and math computations. — Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 2010 · DOI
20. Relative exercise intensity of Tai Chi Chuan is similar in different ages and gender. — The American journal of Chinese medicine, 2004
21. Physiological benefits of 24-style Taijiquan exercise in middle-aged women. — Journal of physiological anthropology and applied human science, 2003
22. Taichiquan acutely increases heart rate variability. — Clinical physiology and functional imaging, 2002
23. Heart rate responses and oxygen consumption during Tai Chi Chuan practice. — The American journal of Chinese medicine, 2001
24. Effects of slow tempo exercise on respiration, heart rate, and mood state. — Perceptual and motor skills, 2000
25. Cardiorespiratory responses of Tai Chi Chuan practitioners and sedentary subjects during cycle ergometry. — Journal of the Formosan Medical Association = Taiwan yi zhi, 1993
26. Changes in heart rate, noradrenaline, cortisol and mood during Tai Chi. — Journal of psychosomatic research, 1989Clinical TrialRandomized Controlled Trial

Government health information

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health summarizes the evidence on tai chi.

Study list: PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), citation data only. Trials: ClinicalTrials.gov. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: PubMed (NLM citation data, free to use (abstracts not reproduced)); ClinicalTrials.gov (Public domain (U.S. Government work)); NCCIH (Public domain (U.S. Government work)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.