During the old and middle-aged life stage, the body presented aging trend with increasing age. Many studies showed that the aging is closely related to free radicals and its induced lipid peroxidation[1]. Experiments showed that the content of serum lipid peroxide of the old and middle-aged people was increased with increasing age [2] and the activity of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) was decreased with increasing age [3]. Therefore, as for the old and middle-aged people, the improvement in serum SOD activity and reduction in level of content of serum lipid peroxide may help to slow down the aging process. This study, through one year systematic observation and research, indicated that the old and middle-aged people can increase SOD activity and the effect on clearance of oxygen free radicals, reduce the content of malondiadehycle (MDA), the degradation product of lipid peroxide in the body, inhibit the lipid peroxidation, reduce the damages in tissue or cell peroxidation and slow down the aging process through Health Qigong • Yi Jin Jing exercise.

I. Objects and Methods
(I) Objects
This study selected the elderly learners aged between 50 and 70 without history of systematic exercise or serious illness from University for the Aged of Jiangxi Province and Veteran Cadre Activity Center of Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee as the experimental objects. In the overall samples, the experimental group contained 40 objects (8 males and 32 females, aged 62.85±5.41) that kept practicing the exercise and completed the tests respectively taken before the experiment, after six-month experiment and after one-year experiment. The control group contained 44 objects (7 males and 37 females, aged 62.80±6.24) that normally completed the tests taken before the experiment and after six-month experiment. x2 -test (x2=0.239, P ＞ 0.05) and t-test (t=0.043, P ＞ 0.05) were respectively conducted on the genders and ages of the two groups, there was no significant difference in comparison of general data between both groups.

(II) Methods
The experimental group practiced Health Qigong for one hour every morning no less than five days a week and the instructors were assigned to provide coaching and guidance for these objects. The exercise routines, practicing requirements, teaching guidance of Health Qigong • Yi Jin Jing are based on the official version released by GASC Health Qigong Administration Center [4]. The control group did not participate in Health Qigong exercise and any other systematic fitness activities. Blood biochemical tests were conducted respectively against the experimental group and control group before the experiment and after six-month experiment and against the experimental group after one-year exercise. The test contents mainly include the tests of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondiadehycle (MDA, the degradation product of lipid peroxide). The experimental apparatus is used Dimension RL full-automatic
biochemical instrument produced by American DuPont Corporation. The serum SOD activity was detected with the detection reagent provided by Nanjing Jiancheng Bioengineering Institute and xanthine oxidase method, and the serum MDA was detected with the detection reagent provided by Nanjing Jiancheng Bioengineering Institute and TBA reaction colorimetric method. SPSS10.0 statistical software was used to analyze and process the data. T-test was used for comparison of mean values. According to the principles of statistics, difference tests between intra-group and inter-group were carried out based on the test results of experimental group and control group taken before and after the experiment.

II. Results

(I) Analysis of blood biochemical test results of the experimental group before and after exercise

Table 9.1-1 showed that, after six months of exercise, the serum MDA content of the experimental group was significantly lower than that before exercise but no change was found in serum SOD; the serum SOD after one-year exercise was significantly increased than that after six-month exercise but no change was found in serum MDA; the serum SOD activity after one-year exercise was significantly higher than that before exercise but the serum MDA content was significantly lower than that before exercise. As we can see from the above data that the Health Qigong exercise can improve the serum SOD activity
and reduce the level of serum MDA, the difference was that the change of MDA was mainly occurred in the former half year and the enhancement of SOD activity was mainly occurred after half a year. It was pointed out that the practicing effect has certain relations with the duration of the practice.

Table 9.1-1 Comparison of Blood Biochemical Test Results of the Experimental Group before and after Exercise (n=40，x ± s )
Test items Before exercise After half year After one year
MDA(nmol/ml) 7.47±2.16 6.60±1.24* 6.30±1.24☆
SOD(U/ml) 96.72±7.88 96.62±5.90 102.92±10.14#☆
Note: * represents the comparison after six-month exercise and before exercise P<0.05, # represents the comparison after one-year exercise and after
six-month exercise P<0.05, ☆ represents the comparison after one-year exercise and before exercise P<0.01.

(II) Analysis of blood biochemical test results of the control group before and after experiment

Table 9.1-2 showed that the serum SOD and MDA of the control group before and after experiment did not have obvious changes.
Table 9.1-2 Comparison of Blood Biochemical Test Results of the Control Group before and after Experiment (n=44，x ± s )
Before experiment After half year t
MDA(nmol/ml) 7.94±2.19 7.56±2.01 1.808
SOD(U/ml) 94.62±8.64 94.34±8.19 0.840

(III) Analysis of blood biochemical test results of the experimental group and control group before and after experiment

Before the experiment, the test results of MDA and SOD of the experimental group and control group did not have significant difference, indicating that they were all from the same overall with better comparability; the serum MDA content of the experimental group after six-month exercise was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05) but no significant difference in serum SOD.

III. Discussions
Aging free radical theory believed that the aging of the human body was due to the physiological dysfunction and the atrophy, degeneration and necrosis of cells and tissues that caused by the increase in generation of free radicals inside the body, the strengthening of lipid peroxidation and the damages of cell membrane structure. With the advance of age, the SOD content inside the body was decreased gradually, the activity was reduced, the organism’s ability in clearance of free radicals was weakened and the damages of free radicals on the organism was increased, thus accelerating the aging process of cells and tissues[5]. Lipid peroxidation has an extremely large damage to lipid structure within the biomembrane, the free radicals produced in the reaction can be
reacted with other substances in cells such as protein and nucleic acid indiscriminately, thus causing damages to the functions or structures of enzyme, chromosome DNA molecules. The damages of free radical metabolism to cells and the accumulations of genetic mutation thus incurred were considered as important causes of aging. Malondiadehycle (MDA) is a product of lipid peroxidation, which can bring about cross-linking reaction of membrane protein and enzyme and increase the damages to function and structure of cells. The measurement of MDA can indirectly reflect the level of free radical attack on the body’s cells and reflect the degree of lipid peroxidation of the organism.

The research results of this experiment showed that: first, the serum SOD activity of the experimental group after Health Qigong • Yi Jin Jing exercise was significantly higher than that before the experiment, and this change mainly occurred after one-year exercise, the serum SOD of the experimental group after six-month exercise did not have significant change, which indicated that the practicing effect has certain relations with the duration of the practice; second, the MDA content of the experimental group after Health Qigong • Yi Jin Jing exercise was significantly lower than that before the experiment and this change
occurred after six-month exercise.

To sum up, the Health Qigong • Yi Jin Jing exercise can reduce MDA content significantly and inhibit the lipid peroxidation, reduce the peroxide damages to issues or cells, significantly increase SOD activity and effect on clearance of oxygen free radicals and slow down the aging process.

References:

[1] Ma Yongxin, Wang Zanshun. Discussion on Red Blood Cell Antioxidant Enzyme and Serum LPO Aging Changes of Healthy Human, Rat and Monkey and the Relationships between these Changes and Aging [J].Chinese Journal of Geriatrics,1992,11(3):176-178.

[2] Cao Kai, Yang Hemei, Liu Yongping, et al. Relationship between Serum Lipid Peroxid Content and Tumor [J].Chinese Journal of Gerontology, 1989,9(5):307-308.

[3] Zheng Zhixue, Wang Zanshun. Observation of Antioxidant Function of Centenarian [J].Chinese Journal of Gerontology,1994,14(6):331-333.

[4] GASC Health Qigong Administration Center, Health Qigong • Yi Jin Jing [M].Beijing: China People’s
Sports Publishing House,2003.

[5] Ma Xiaohui. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Anti-aging [J].Chinese Journal of the Practical Chinese
With Modern Medicine,2005,6(18):922-923.