Tai chi and quality of life: research overview

Not medical advice. This page lists research about tai chi and quality of life. 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

174 (tagged with “Quality of Life” as a major topic)

Years

2001–2026

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. Comparative effectiveness of exercise modalities on psychological outcomes and quality of life in digestive system cancer survivors: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, 2026 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
2. Comparative efficacy of mind-body exercises on quality of life, anxiety, and depression in patients with breast cancer: a systematic review with pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. — Frontiers in public health, 2026 · DOISystematic Review
3. Effectiveness of Eight Part Vajra Gong in alleviating pain and enhancing quality of life among patients with osteoarthritis: a retrospective study. — Clinical rheumatology, 2026 · DOI
4. Effects of different mind-body exercises on quality of life and cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2026 · DOISystematic Review
5. Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation combined with Tai Chi on the physical, cognitive, emotional, sleep, and quality-of-life outcomes in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. — Experimental gerontology, 2026 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
6. Exercise interventions for health-related quality of life, fatigue, depression, and anxiety in colorectal cancer survivors: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, 2026 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
7. Optimal mind-body exercise for quality of life, anxiety, and depression in cancer patients and survivors: A pairwise, network, and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. — Applied psychology. Health and well-being, 2026 · DOI
8. A Systematic Review of Tai Chi-based Interventions for Positive and Negative Symptoms, Cognitive Functioning, and Quality of Life in Psychosis. — Community mental health journal, 2025 · DOISystematic Review
9. Characteristics of rehabilitation programs for chronic respiratory diseases in Asia: A scoping review. — Respiratory medicine, 2025 · DOI
10. Comparative efficacy of mind-body exercise for pain, function, quality of life in knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2025 · DOISystematic Review
11. Effectiveness of music therapy and Tai Chi exercise on anxiety, depression and quality of life for patients with cancer: a protocol for systematic reviews and meta-analysis. — BMJ open, 2025 · DOI
12. Effectiveness of qigong and Tai Chi for quality of life in patients with cancer: an umbrella review and meta-analysis. — BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
13. Effects of Tai Chi training on functionality, dynamic balance, kinesiophobia, and quality of life in athletes with functional ankle instability. — Research in sports medicine (Print), 2025 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
14. Effects of body weight-supported Tai Chi Yunshou training on upper limb motor function in stroke patients: A three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. — PloS one, 2025 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
15. Four MBE Therapies to Improve Pain Scores, Physical Functioning, and Quality of Life in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: Network Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. — European journal of pain (London, England), 2025 · DOISystematic Review
16. Impact of Tai Chi on Physical and Mental Well-being in Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. — American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation, 2025 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
17. Mind-body training outperforms other physical activities in reducing frailty and enhancing quality of life in older adults: a network meta-analysis. — Frontiers in public health, 2025 · DOISystematic Review
18. The Effect of Adherence to a Tai Chi Intervention on Quality of Life of Older People Living With Dementia. — Journal of aging and physical activity, 2025 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
19. The Effectiveness of Mind-Body Exercise on Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health During and After Breast Cancer Treatment: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses for Randomized Controlled Trials. — Worldviews on evidence-based nursing, 2025 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
20. Adaptation of an evidence-based, fall-prevention, Tai Ji Quan exercise program for adults with traumatic brain injury: focus group results. — Physiotherapy theory and practice, 2024 · DOI
21. An integrated approach to the treatment of Rheumatic diseases: the role of psychological interventions. — Rheumatology international, 2024 · DOIReview
22. 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
23. Effectiveness of a 12-week combining tai chi and yoga program on pulmonary function and functional fitness in COPD patients. — Respiratory medicine, 2024 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
24. Effectiveness of exercise intervention in relieving symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis: A network meta-analysis. — PloS one, 2024 · DOI
25. Effects of Tai Chi on physical performance, sleep, and quality of life in older adults with mild to moderate cognitive impairment. — BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2024 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
26. Effects of Tai-Chi on Quality of Life in People With Neurodegenerative Diseases. A systematic Review of Randomised Clinical Trials. — American journal of health promotion : AJHP, 2024 · DOISystematic Review
27. Effects of combined resistance training and Tai Chi on oxidative stress, blood glucose and lipid metabolism and quality of life in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. — Research in sports medicine (Print), 2024 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
28. Effects of mind-body exercise on physical ability, mental health and quality of life in stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — Frontiers in public health, 2024 · DOIMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
29. Efficacy and safety of mind-body exercise for patients with axial spondyloarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2024 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
30. Efficacy of exercise treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review. — Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 2024 · DOISystematic Review
31. Exercise or mind-body exercises for psychiatry symptoms and quality of life in schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders: an overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis. — Disability and rehabilitation, 2024 · DOIMeta-AnalysisReview
32. Network meta-analysis evaluating the impact of diverse exercise regimens on quality of life in women post-breast cancer surgery. — Medicine, 2024 · DOI
33. Some types of exercise interventions are more effective than others in people with coronary heart disease: systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Journal of physiotherapy, 2024 · DOISystematic Review
34. Tai Chi Movement Recognition and Precise Intervention for the Elderly Based on Inertial Measurement Units and Temporal Convolutional Neural Networks. — Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 2024 · DOI
35. The Effect of Tai Chi (Bafa Wubu) Training and Artificial Intelligence-Based Movement-Precision Feedback on the Mental and Physical Outcomes of Elderly. — Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 2024 · DOI
36. The impact of mind-body exercise on the quality of life in older adults: the chain mediation effect of perceived social support and psychological resilience. — Frontiers in public health, 2024 · DOI
37. The impact of various mind-body exercises on cardiorespiratory function and quality of life in heart failure patients: A network meta-analysis. — Current problems in cardiology, 2024 · DOI
38. Effectiveness of mental health interventions for older adults in South Asia: A scoping review. — PloS one, 2023 · DOI
39. Effectiveness of traditional Chinese exercise in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. — International journal of rheumatic diseases, 2023 · DOIMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
40. Effects of a self-determination theory-based physical activity programme for postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized controlled trial. — International journal of nursing practice, 2023 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial

134 more studies on PubMed

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.