MONDAY, Feb. 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For individuals with high blood pressure (BP), baduanjin, a traditional Chinese mind-body practice, can lower systolic BP (SBP), with effects sustained for 52 weeks, according to a study published online Feb. 18 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Boxuan Pu, from Fuwai Hospital in Beijing, and colleagues conducted a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial in seven communities involving participants aged 40 years and older with SBP of 130 to 139 mmHg and/or diastolic BP of 85 to 89 mmHg. Participants were randomly assigned to receive baduanjin, self-directed exercise alone, or brisk walking for 52 weeks (108, 54, and 54 participants, respectively). Change in 24-hour SBP from baseline to 12 and 52 weeks was examined as the primary outcome.
The researchers found that compared with patients assigned to self-directed exercise alone, patients in the baduanjin arm had a significantly greater reduction in 24-hour SBP at 12 and 52 weeks (−3.1 and −3.3 mmHg, respectively). At 52 weeks, no significant difference was seen between the baduanjin and brisk-walking arms. Across subgroups, the effects were not heterogeneous. Across the three arms, there were no significant differences seen in adverse events.
"Baduanjin has been practiced in China for over 800 years, and this study demonstrates how ancient, accessible, low-cost approaches can be validated through high-quality randomized research," Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D., editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, said in a statement. "The blood pressure effect size is similar to that seen in landmark drug trials, but achieved without medication, cost, or side effects."