Effects of Yi Ren Medical Qigong on Body Weight in People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine whether Yi Ren Medical Qigong (YRMQ) has a positive impact on body weight in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Design: A secondary analysis was conducted with data collected during a completed randomized, controlled clinical trial study. Settings/location: Bastyr University Research Institute (Kenmore, WA) Subjects: Participants (n=32), mean age of 56.3 ± 8.1(SD) years, with diagnosed type 2 diabetes and HbA1C > 7.5%, fasting blood glucose > 7 mmol/l (126 mg/dl). Interventions: Patients were randomized into a standard care plus YRMQ group, or standard care plus progressive resistance training (PRT group), or standard care alone (control group). Outcome measures: Outcome measures included body weight, body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose, and homeostasis assessment index estimates of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Results: Both the YRMQ and PRT groups had a significant trend of decrease in body weight and BMI when compared to the control group. For the body weight, the p-values of the rank sum tests for control-PRT, control-YRMQ and PRT-YRMQ are 0.02, 0.10 and 0.55, respectively. For BMI, the p-values of the rank sum tests for control-PRT, control-YRMQ and PRT-YRMQ are 0.01, 0.04 and 0.73, respectively. The Qigong group also showed trends for improvement in insulin resistance while PRT did not, despite the significant body weight loss in the PRT group. Conclusion: Yi Ren Medical Qigong was associated with trends in weight loss and improvement of insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.