Feasibility and Effects of a Blended Baduanjin Exercise and Green Tea Consumption Program on Depressive Symptoms, Gut Microbiota and Quality of Life in Older Adults

Depression is a common mental health issue in older adults, often manifesting as insomnia, low mood, vague somatic complaints, cognitive decline, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. Even subthreshold depressive symptoms in late life significantly impair quality of life. In Hong Kong, recent data show high prevalence of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults (43.7% in men, 54.8% in women), underscoring the urgent public health and economic need for effective interventions. Although the previous evidence has shown that BDJ and GT consumption can improve depressive symptoms, gut microbiota, and QoL respectively, the feasibility and effect of the combination of two intervention approaches in older adults remain unclear. Therefore, the proposed study aims to (1) determine the feasibility of a 12-week blended BDJ and GT consumption program among Hong Kong community-dwelling older adults with depressive symptoms in a small-scale sample, and (2) examine the effects of the blended BDJ and GT consumption program on their depressive symptoms, gut-microbiota and QoL compared with that in the active control group.