Detox & Burn at Home

A randomized controlled trial (Nedeljkovic et al.) found that regular Tai Chi practice blunts salivary cortisol reactivity to a standardized stress test (p=.028), with faster recovery afterward — a solid finding, replicated across several small studies going back to Jin (1989). A trial in cancer survivors also found a modest drop in total cortisol output over 12 weeks. However, the claim that Tai Chi "burns calories" and "reduces belly fat" in any meaningful way isn't supported: it's a very low-intensity exercise, comparable to slow walking, with no data showing a specific effect on visceral fat. So Tai Chi is a legitimate, low-risk stress-reduction practice, but presented here with a weight-loss promise that outruns what the literature shows. Verdict: mixed — the anti-cortisol effect is real and documented, the fat-loss effect is an extrapolation.