Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Weight Loss: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Despite various strategies, overweight and obesity problems are still increasingly prevalent worldwide with serious health outcomes. Consequently, the continuous demand for more effective, safe and acceptable therapies for reducing body weight is also escalating—including complementary and alternative therapies (CATs). The aim of this review is to provide a summary of the most commonly- and recently-used CATs, with evaluation of their safety and efficacy for weight loss. Electronic scientific databases such as Scopus, PubMed and EBSCO Host were explored for articles that reported CATs for overweight and obesity treatment from 2015 to December 2019. Only systematic reviews, meta-analysis and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English were included. Studies whereby CATs were not utilized for reducing body weight were excluded. Eight systematic reviews and meta-analyses and 11 additional RCTs with 765 participants (50.2% overweight and 49.8% obese) related to hypnotherapy, acupuncture and dietary supplements met the inclusion criteria. Their results suggested that spirulina, chitosan, probiotic, EPA + DHA, vitamin D, fiber, and herbal extract supplementation may all provide small reductions in body weight (ranging from 1-10 kg). Interestingly, hypnotherapy and acupuncture reported significantly greater reduction in body weight compared with placebo (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Nonetheless, the evidence is still relatively limited and not encouraging to provide a definitive conclusion due to the methodological shortcomings and the presence of adverse events in chitosan and fiber supplementation. Hence, studies of this nature need to be further replicated and improved to corroborate the efficacy and safety of the CATs to combat weight issues.

The development of liver cirrhosis in a patient taking long-term weight loss supplements

“…Авторы отмечают ограничение исследований, которые не позволяют сделать окончательные выводы, связанные с небольшими размерами выборок, краткосрочной продолжительностью и отсутствием оценок безопасности терапии. В данных исследованиях участвовали в основном женщины, что не позволяет экстраполировать данные на лиц обоего пола [14].…”

Consensus on pharmacological treatment of obesity in Latin America

“…Encouraging the use of natural or nutritional supplements to support weight loss is a widespread practice in Latin American countries, either because the patient decides to use them or through medical or paramedical recommendations. The literature review conducted by the experts in this consensus led them to conclude that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of natural products to treat patients with obesity (LE: C; R: IIb) 118–129 . These are some examples: chromium picolinate; Indian nut; Garcinia cambogia; Spirulina; and white kidney bean extract. …”

“…The literature review conducted by the experts in this consensus led them to conclude that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of natural products to treat patients with obesity (LE: C; R: IIb). [118][119][120][121][122][123][124][125][126][127][128][129] These are some examples:…”

Advances in Anti-obesity Pharmacotherapy: Current Treatments, Emerging Therapies, and Challenges

“…Another non-pharmacological strategy for weight loss is cognitive behavioral therapy to overcome emotional and psychological barriers to controlling weight [ 12 , 13 ]. Complementary approaches clinically shown to decrease body weight (albeit with limited supportive data) include acupuncture, vitamin D supplementation, and N-3 fatty acids (EPA + DHA) supplementation [ 14 ]. Bariatric surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy, is a more invasive non-pharmacological last resort approach that successfully treats obesity by physically restricting the amount of food an individual can consume [ 14 ].…”