Effect of a Tai Chi rehabilitation program on immune senescence in patients with essential hypertension: a randomized controlled trial

Hypertension, a chronic cardiovascular disorder involving endocrine-immune dysregulation and oxidative stress. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a Tai Chi rehabilitation program (TCRP) on immune aging and explore its mechanisms in patients with essential hypertension. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in August 2022, and 105 participants with essential hypertension were recruited. Participants were randomly divided into TCRP, conventional exercise rehabilitation program (CERP) group and blank control (BC) group with a ratio of 1:1:1. The experiment lasted for 24 weeks. The primary outcome was blood pressure. Secondary outcomes were mainly related to immune aging. After 24 weeks, both TCRP and CERP groups showed significant reductions in blood pressure ( p < 0.01). Regarding immune aging markers, all groups exhibited increased LZM and telomerase ( p < 0.05) but decreased DHEA and E2 levels ( p < 0.01). SIRT3 was significantly increased and GH was significantly decreased in TCRP group. There were no significant changes in GH and SIRT3 levels in CERP group. The levels of GH and SIRT3 in BC were significantly decreased. SIRT3 levels in TCRP group were significantly different from CERP group and BC group ( p < 0.01). Both 24-week TCRP and CERP effectively lowered blood pressure in hypertensive patients, while only TCRP significantly elevated SIRT3 levels. SIRT3 may be a potential mediator of Tai Chi’s anti-hypertensive effect, supporting its inclusion in hypertension management, and serve as a new biomarker for immune aging. The study was retrospectively registered in the International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry (ITMCTR2024000813) on December 13, 2024.