Regular Tai Chi Chuan exercise improves T cell helper function of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with an increase in T-bet transcription factor and IL-12 production.
BACKGROUND
Exercise has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM); its benefit to immune function, however, remains to be determined.


OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the effect of a 12-week course of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) exercise on T cell helper (Th) reaction in patients with type 2 DM.


METHODS
A case-control study was performed in 30 pairs of patients with type 2 DM and normal age-matched adults. Fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, mediators (interleukin (IL)-12, IL-4 and transforming growth factor (TGF)beta) and transcription factors (T-bet, GATA-3 and FoxP3) of Th1/Th2/T regulatory (Treg) reaction were measured before and after a 12-week TCC exercise programme.


RESULTS
Fasting glucose and HbA1c levels in the patients with type 2 DM were significantly higher than in age-matched controls before exercise. After TCC exercise, HbA1c levels in patients with type 2 DM significantly decreased (7.59 (0.32)% vs 7.16 (0.22)%; p = 0.047) and blood levels of IL-12 increased significantly (5.96 (1.10) vs 12.96 (3.07); p = 0.035). To study the molecular Th1/Th2/Treg reaction, patients with type 2 DM were found to have lower T-bet but not GATA-3 or FoxP3 expression than normal controls before TCC exercise. After the 12-week TCC exercise T-bet expression significantly increased in patients with type 2 DM.


CONCLUSIONS
A 12-week TCC exercise programme decreases HbA1c levels along with an increase in the Th1 reaction. A combination of TCC with medication may provide an even better improvement in both metabolism and immunity of patients with type 2 DM.
Yeh
S-H
SH
Department of Medical Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan.
Chuang
H
H
Lin
L-W
LW
Hsiao
C-Y
CY
Wang
P-W
PW
Liu
R-T
RT
Yang
K D
KD
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D026302:Tai Ji; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor
D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D018664:Interleukin-12; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor