A randomized controlled trial of Baduanjin exercise to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in patients with prediabetes

To investigate the effectiveness of long-term Baduanjin and aerobic training on the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in prediabetic patients. This study was single-blind randomized controlled trial. A total of 98 participants with prediabetes were randomly divided into three groups: the BDJ (n = 34), AT (n = 32), and control (n = 32) groups. Participants in the BDJ and AT groups underwent one year of supervised group exercise, consisting of 60 min/session every other day. The primary outcomes were metabolic control and the 10-year risk of ASCVD. The secondary outcome was a change in blood glucose status. After the intervention, various metabolic indexes were significantly improved in the two exercise groups relative to the control group and baseline measurements (p < 0.05). Compared with no exercise, BDJ and AT had significant preventive and protective effects against the risk of ASCVD in patients with prediabetes (p < 0.001). The overall effects of the two exercise groups were similar (p > 0.05). Long-term BDJ training can effectively reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its cardiovascular complications in prediabetic patients. The effect of BDJ is similar to that of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.