Effects of 6-month tele-training tai chi versus resistance training on cardiometabolic health-related indices and oxidative stress markers in older Mexican women with overweight or obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background Telehealth physical exercise training represents a viable option for maintaining intrinsic capacity, especially in confinement situations such as the one experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of tele-training tai chi vs. resistance exercise on cardiometabolic health-related indices in older Mexican women with overweight or obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A quasi-experimental exploratory study of a convenience sample of 38 older women with overweight or obesity who participated in a zoom tele-exercise program, divided into two groups: (1) resistance training group (RTG) n = 19 (age 61 ± 7 years; BMI, 29 ± 5); (2) tai chi group (TCG) n = 19 (age 63 ± 4 years; BMI, 31 ± 5). All participants had blood cardiometabolic health-related indices and oxidative stress (OxS) markers, and body composition parameters assessed at baseline and after 6 months of tele-exercise training. Results Adherence to the tele-training by zoom program was observed in the 90% of the RTG and 80% in the TCG. A statistically significant changes were observed after tele-training by group ( p < 0.05) in several parameters, RTG: IL1β (+ 17.4%), IL6 (+ 21.2%), TNF-α (+ 19%); TAS (− 18%), TOS (+ 116%), PC (+ 33.8%), OSI (+ 147%); TCG: IL8 (+ 76.6%), IL1β (+ 26%), 8OHdG (− 26.7%), cholesterol (− 12%), %FM (− 8.1%), %FFM (+ 8.4%). Likewise, a greater increase in the ratio of free fat mass and skeletal muscle mass was observed in the TCG compared to the RTG with borderline statistical significance ( p = 0.06). Conclusion Our findings suggest TC-tele-training has a significantly greater antioxidant effect than RT linked to an increase in fat-free mass and skeletal muscle mass. Therefore, the TC-tele-training may be an option to prevent or control OxS, to maintain or improve intrinsic capacity for healthy aging.