Acupuncture: is it effective for treatment of insulin resistance?

Abstract

Insulin resistance (IR) is closely associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), non-alcohol fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome and is also a risk factor for serious diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. Pharmacological treatments available for IR are limited by drug adverse effects. Because acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years in China, it has been increasingly used worldwide for IR-related diseases. This review analyses 234 English publications listed on the PubMed database between 1979 and 2009 on the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for IR. These publications provide clinical evidence, although limited, in support of the effectiveness of acupuncture in IR. At this stage, well-designed, evidence-based clinical randomized controlled trial studies are therefore needed to confirm the effects of acupuncture on IR. Numerous experimental studies have demonstrated that acupuncture can correct various metabolic disorders such as hyperglycemia, overweight, hyperphagia, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, altered activity of the sympathetic nervous system and insulin signal defect, all of which contribute to the development of IR. In addition, acupuncture has the potential to improve insulin sensitivity. The evidence has revealed the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects of acupuncture, though further investigations are warranted.

Influence of Acupuncture on Leptin, Ghrelin, Insulin and Cholecystokinin in Obese Women: A Randomised, Sham-Controlled Preliminary Trial

“…In this respect, although the distribution of our data is non-parametric, we can state that preacupuncture levels of insulin were in the higher centiles and postacupuncture values decreased to the lower centiles. This suggests normalisation of insulin values and improved insulin sensitivity with acupuncture treatment, [31][32][33] which is supported by our between-group analysis.CCK is a neurotransmitter causing satiety after a meal by affecting the central nervous system, and hence it has close relationship with ghrelin. It can be said that ghrelin starts the meal while CCK ends it.…”

Hypoglycemic effects and mechanisms of electroacupuncture on insulin resistance

“…Other studies indicated that acupuncture improved both hyperglycemia and insulin resistance (11,15). In animals, electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to improve insulin resistance or sensitivity (10,25,26,31,37) and reduce plasma FFA (32). In the current study, we hypothesized that EA reduces elevated blood glucose level in a mouse model of insulin resistance, and the mechanism may be via the suppression of FFA.…”

Clinical Observation on Warm Acupuncture Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…Acupuncture is also a safe intervention in the hands of competent practitioners. Yamashita et al [17] prospectively evaluated 55,291 acupuncture treatments administered by acupuncturists with medical training and documented only 64 adverse events (0.12%) [18]. All of those adverse events were minor, with the most common being bruising, dizziness, perspiration, discomfort, and dermatitis; warm needle acupuncture is safe and may be effective as an adjunct in reducing the number of RA patients.…”