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Effect of Tai Chi and Yoga Training on Oxidative Status, Physical Performance, and Cognitive Function of Military Personnel

Received: 20 September 2022    Accepted: 8 October 2022    Published: 18 October 2022
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Abstract

Yoga, a long-established Indian philosophical system, tries to bring harmony and wellness to the physical, mental, and emotional dimensions. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese exercise of moderate intensity. They are widely used in modern society to reduce oxidative biological alterations and enhance physical and mental performance. The main objective was to evaluate the effect of Tai Chi and Yoga exercises on oxidative stress measures, physical performance, and cognitive function of military personnel. It was a field-based pragmatic randomized control study. Military medical officers who were taking a refresher course for Military Medical Training from February to March 2020 comprised mainly 81 voluntary participants. They were divided into three groups in equal chance, with each receiving six weeks of regular, Tai Chi, and Yoga training. Blood samples were obtained before and following the six-week interventions, and measurements of the serum nitric oxide (NO) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were taken. Then assessments of cognitive function and physical fitness were conducted. Significant reductions of OSI from 0.61 ± 0.14 AU to 0.32 ± 0.12 AU (p < 0.01) was found in the Tai Chi group and the effect of Tai Chi on OSI level reduction was found more prominently over Yoga effects, although there were no remarkable differences in NO level among them. For physical fitness test, parameters of Yoga group (Body fat percent: 20.87 ± 3.62 to 19.84 ± 3.53; Sit and Reach test: 2.00 ± 1.78 to 2.89 ± 1.70 (times/minute); Crunch test: 34.07 ± 8.94 to 37.21 ± 11.89 (times/minute) were improved significantly (p < 0.05). In the Tai Chi group, improvements were seen in Sit and Reach test: 2.11 ± 1.66 to 2.89 ± 2.04 (times/minute); and Crunch test: 31.81 ± 7.49 to 37.85 ± 8.83 (times/minute), (p < 0.05). As for the cognitive function test, there were no significant changes in all groups. According to the study’s outcomes, Yoga training is generally superior to Tai Chi training in terms of areas of physical fitness testing. It can be concluded that a six-week Tai Chi and Yoga exercise program has beneficial effects on antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress measurements. While the practice of Tai Chi generates a more intense antioxidant impact, Yoga produces a greater improvement in physical fitness effect.

Published in Biomedical Sciences (Volume 8, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.bs.20220804.12
Page(s) 119-125
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Tai Chi, Yoga, Oxidative Stress Index (OSI), Nitric Oxide (NO), Physical Performance, Cognitive Function

References
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  • APA Style

    Mo Mo Than, Khin Nwe Kyi, Khine Kyaw Oo, Phyo Thaw Htun, Yan Naing Soe, et al. (2022). Effect of Tai Chi and Yoga Training on Oxidative Status, Physical Performance, and Cognitive Function of Military Personnel. Biomedical Sciences, 8(4), 119-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220804.12

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    ACS Style

    Mo Mo Than; Khin Nwe Kyi; Khine Kyaw Oo; Phyo Thaw Htun; Yan Naing Soe, et al. Effect of Tai Chi and Yoga Training on Oxidative Status, Physical Performance, and Cognitive Function of Military Personnel. Biomed. Sci. 2022, 8(4), 119-125. doi: 10.11648/j.bs.20220804.12

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    AMA Style

    Mo Mo Than, Khin Nwe Kyi, Khine Kyaw Oo, Phyo Thaw Htun, Yan Naing Soe, et al. Effect of Tai Chi and Yoga Training on Oxidative Status, Physical Performance, and Cognitive Function of Military Personnel. Biomed Sci. 2022;8(4):119-125. doi: 10.11648/j.bs.20220804.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.bs.20220804.12,
      author = {Mo Mo Than and Khin Nwe Kyi and Khine Kyaw Oo and Phyo Thaw Htun and Yan Naing Soe and Paing Khant Kyaw and Kaung Su Lin and Min Thein and Ye Myat Kyaw and Khun Zaw and Zaw Min Thein and Zaw Min Htut and Kyaw Myo Htun and Thet Naing and Ko Ko Lwin},
      title = {Effect of Tai Chi and Yoga Training on Oxidative Status, Physical Performance, and Cognitive Function of Military Personnel},
      journal = {Biomedical Sciences},
      volume = {8},
      number = {4},
      pages = {119-125},
      doi = {10.11648/j.bs.20220804.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20220804.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.bs.20220804.12},
      abstract = {Yoga, a long-established Indian philosophical system, tries to bring harmony and wellness to the physical, mental, and emotional dimensions. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese exercise of moderate intensity. They are widely used in modern society to reduce oxidative biological alterations and enhance physical and mental performance. The main objective was to evaluate the effect of Tai Chi and Yoga exercises on oxidative stress measures, physical performance, and cognitive function of military personnel. It was a field-based pragmatic randomized control study. Military medical officers who were taking a refresher course for Military Medical Training from February to March 2020 comprised mainly 81 voluntary participants. They were divided into three groups in equal chance, with each receiving six weeks of regular, Tai Chi, and Yoga training. Blood samples were obtained before and following the six-week interventions, and measurements of the serum nitric oxide (NO) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were taken. Then assessments of cognitive function and physical fitness were conducted. Significant reductions of OSI from 0.61 ± 0.14 AU to 0.32 ± 0.12 AU (p p p < 0.05). As for the cognitive function test, there were no significant changes in all groups. According to the study’s outcomes, Yoga training is generally superior to Tai Chi training in terms of areas of physical fitness testing. It can be concluded that a six-week Tai Chi and Yoga exercise program has beneficial effects on antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress measurements. While the practice of Tai Chi generates a more intense antioxidant impact, Yoga produces a greater improvement in physical fitness effect.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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    AU  - Mo Mo Than
    AU  - Khin Nwe Kyi
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    AU  - Kaung Su Lin
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    AU  - Ye Myat Kyaw
    AU  - Khun Zaw
    AU  - Zaw Min Thein
    AU  - Zaw Min Htut
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    AB  - Yoga, a long-established Indian philosophical system, tries to bring harmony and wellness to the physical, mental, and emotional dimensions. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese exercise of moderate intensity. They are widely used in modern society to reduce oxidative biological alterations and enhance physical and mental performance. The main objective was to evaluate the effect of Tai Chi and Yoga exercises on oxidative stress measures, physical performance, and cognitive function of military personnel. It was a field-based pragmatic randomized control study. Military medical officers who were taking a refresher course for Military Medical Training from February to March 2020 comprised mainly 81 voluntary participants. They were divided into three groups in equal chance, with each receiving six weeks of regular, Tai Chi, and Yoga training. Blood samples were obtained before and following the six-week interventions, and measurements of the serum nitric oxide (NO) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were taken. Then assessments of cognitive function and physical fitness were conducted. Significant reductions of OSI from 0.61 ± 0.14 AU to 0.32 ± 0.12 AU (p p p < 0.05). As for the cognitive function test, there were no significant changes in all groups. According to the study’s outcomes, Yoga training is generally superior to Tai Chi training in terms of areas of physical fitness testing. It can be concluded that a six-week Tai Chi and Yoga exercise program has beneficial effects on antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress measurements. While the practice of Tai Chi generates a more intense antioxidant impact, Yoga produces a greater improvement in physical fitness effect.
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Author Information
  • Department of Biochemistry, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Physiology, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Biochemistry, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Biochemistry, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Biochemistry, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Physiology, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Physiology, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Biochemistry, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Biochemistry, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Physiology, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Biochemistry, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Department of Biochemistry, Defence Services Medical Academy, Yangon, Myanmar

  • Directorate of Medical Services, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

  • No. (1) Defence Services General Hospital (1000 Bedded), Yangon, Myanmar

  • Directorate of Medical Services, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

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