Effects of Mind‐Body Exercises on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Meta‐Analysis

Mind-body exercise has positive effects on cognitive performance, according to clinical observation and experts’ recommendations. However, its potential benefits for the cognitive function of aging adults are uncertain and still lack systematic estimations. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the overall efficacy and effectiveness of mind-body exercises for cognitive performance in aging individuals with or without cognitive impairment. A total of 32 randomized controlled trials with 3624 participants were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. The results revealed that mind-body exercises as a whole had benefits in improving global cognition compared with that of the control group and were more effective than control interventions in promoting cognitive flexibility, working memory, verbal fluency, and learning on cognitively intact or impaired older adults. In dose-subgroup analysis, only moderate exercise intensity (60-120 min per week) significantly increased global cognition scores compared with those of the control group. Mind-body exercises, especially tai chi and dance mind-body exercise, are beneficial for improving global cognition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, verbal fluency, and learning in cognitively intact or impaired older adults. Moderate intensity is recommended as the optimal dose for older adults.