Ruidie Ma, Lei Gou, Si Ma, Yingbing Mei, Xueliang Wang, Wang Zhu, Yu Guo
TCEs may offer potential benefits for improving muscle strength, mass, and physical function in older adults with sarcopenia. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of studies, methodological limitations (e.g., lack of blinding), small sample sizes, and clinical heterogeneity across the included trials. High-quality, large-scale RCTs are warranted to confirm these findings and strengthen the evidence base.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of Traditional Chinese Exercises (TCEs) on muscle strength, muscle mass, and physical function in older adults with sarcopenia.
METHODS: Systematic electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang Database from inception to March 1, 2026, to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of TCEs in older adults with sarcopenia. Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan 5.4, and effect sizes were expressed as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI).
RESULTS: Seventeen studies involving 984 participants were included. The meta-analysis revealed that TCEs were associated with improvements in handgrip strength (HS) (MD = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.94-1.32, p < 0.001, I 2 = 2%). Regarding muscle mass, TCEs were also associated with increases in appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) (MD = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.11-0.29, p < 0.001, I 2 = 0%). For physical function, TCEs were associated with improvements in 6-meter gait speed (6m_GS) (MD = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.09-0.16, p < 0.001, I 2 = 0%), timed up-and-go test (TUGT) performance (MD = -2.80, 95% CI:-2.55--2.05, p < 0.001, I 2 = 0%), five-times sit-to-stand test (FTSST) (MD = -1.37, 95% CI:-1.89--0.85, p < 0.001, I 2 = 0%), 30-s sit-to-stand test (30s STS) (MD = 1.53, 95% CI: 0.64-2.24, p < 0.001, I 2 = 0%), and short physical performance battery (SPPB) (MD = 1.37, 95% CI: 0.81-1.92, p < 0.001, I 2 = 0%). Subgroup analyses based on exercise modality, intervention duration, frequency, and session length showed no statistically significant differences across outcomes among different subgroups (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: TCEs may offer potential benefits for improving muscle strength, mass, and physical function in older adults with sarcopenia. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of studies, methodological limitations (e.g., lack of blinding), small sample sizes, and clinical heterogeneity across the included trials. High-quality, large-scale RCTs are warranted to confirm these findings and strengthen the evidence base.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261343216, identifier: CRD420261343216.