Holistic frailty prevention: The promise of movement-based mind–body therapies

Abstract

Aging is characterized by fundamental cellular and molecular hallmarks that result in physiologic decline of most body systems. This may culminate in frailty, a state of decreased reserve. Because frailty is a state of multisystem dysregulation, multimodal interventions may be necessary to mitigate and prevent progression rather than interventions targeting a single system. Movement-based mind–body therapies, such as tai chi and yoga, are promising multimodal strategies for frailty prevention and treatment given their inherent multicomponent nature. In this review, we summarize the links between hallmarks of aging and frailty and how tai chi and yoga may impact these hallmarks. We review trial evidence for the impact of tai chi and yoga on frailty in older populations and discuss opportunities for future research.