Green Tea and Tai Chi for Bone Health

Osteoporosis is a major health problem in postmenopausal women. Our long-term goal is to develop a new alternative treatment that include a dietary supplement (green tea extract) and a mind-body exercise (Tai Chi) for lessening bone loss in postmenopausal women with low bone mass. A combination of dietary supplement and moderate intensity exercise now becomes a new alternative treatment in reducing bone loss in postmenopausal women with low bone mass, due to the possible stronger effects of the combination than individual treatments. Objective: To test a CAM intervention including green tea polyphenol (GTP) and Tai Chi (TC) exercise for feasibility, and to quantitatively assess their individual and conjugate effects on postmenopausal women with osteopenia. Hypotheses: (1) 24 weeks of GTP supplement, TC exercise, and their combination will benefit bone remodeling as measured by bone biomarkers and muscle strength/physical function in postmenopausal women with osteopenia compared to those receiving placebo only, and (2) the changes in bone biomarkers associated with bone remodeling will be correlated with the changes in oxidative stress.