Dr. Axe Wire · Study decoded · fitness

Tai Chi-Style Training Raised Bone Density In Women Across 20 Trials

A meta-analysis of 20 trials found traditional Chinese mind-body training was linked to stronger bones, with the clearest gains at the lower spine.

By Dr. Axe Editorial Team · October 25, 2026 · 1 source · Watch

Photo: Pexels

A meta-analysis published October 14, 2026 in Experimental Gerontology found that traditional Chinese mind-body training, practices like tai chi and qigong, raised bone mineral density in middle-aged and older women, with the largest gains at the lumbar spine.

Researchers pooled 20 randomized controlled trials examining traditional Chinese mind-body training, tai chi and qigong, for bone mineral density in middle-aged and older women. The initial analysis found a standardized mean difference of 0.55 (95% CI: 0.24-0.87) favoring the training, a moderate-to-large effect size. After removing three trials identified as unusually influential on the results, the effect dropped but stayed significant at 0.32 (95% CI: 0.22-0.42) across the remaining 17 trials. The researchers reported the most apparent improvement at the lumbar spine. Heterogeneity, meaning how much results varied from study to study, was high in the initial pooled analysis at 84.7%.

This is a meta-analysis, combining results across many randomized trials rather than one new experiment, so the gain points to the training itself, though the trials varied widely and the effect shrank once three outsized trials were set aside. Bone responds to mechanical load: weight-bearing movement and the postural shifts in slow, controlled exercise stress bone tissue in ways that can help maintain or build density over time, a general physiology point rather than something this analysis tested directly.

Bone Density Effect Before and After Removing Outlier Trials

Experimental Gerontology, 2026, Luo et al.

The authors call their dose-response findings exploratory signals, not a validated exercise prescription, and say no specific training regimen should be recommended yet. Heterogeneity across the original 20 trials was substantial, and three trials had an outsized effect on the overall result before being excluded. This record was read at the abstract level, so full details on training duration and participant age ranges were not available.

Dr. Axe’s Take

Bone loss in women after midlife deserves more attention than it gets, and this analysis gives me more reason to push gentle, consistent, weight-bearing movement rather than waiting for a crisis. Tai chi and qigong load the skeleton through slow, controlled stance work while also training balance, which matters because a fall often turns low bone density into a fracture. I would not treat this as a replacement for resistance training with weights, which has the strongest evidence for building bone, but I would add tai chi or qigong consistently throughout the week alongside it.

— Dr. Axe

Take the Cellular Health Quiz →

Study summary

Who: Middle-aged and older women, pooled across 20 randomized controlled trials (17 after excluding 3 highly influential studies)
Design: Three-level random-effects meta-analysis of RCTs on traditional Chinese mind-body training for bone mineral density
Dose: Training frequency, assessment site and age examined exploratorily; no specific regimen validated
Primary result: SMD 0.55 (95% CI 0.24-0.87) initially; 0.32 (95% CI 0.22-0.42) after excluding 3 influential trials
Secondary: Largest improvement at the lumbar spine; heterogeneity 84.7% in the initial pooled analysis
Funding / conflicts: Conflict statement in the PubMed record: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding not reported in the abstract.
Date: Oct 14, 2026