Complementary therapies for reducing body weight: a systematic review

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and a plethora of complementary therapies are on offer claiming effectiveness for reducing body weight. The aim of this systematic review is to critically assess the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews of complementary therapies for reducing body weight. Literature searches were conducted on Medline, Embase, Amed, and the Cochrane Library until January 2004. Hand-searches of relevant medical journals and bibliographies of identified articles were conducted. There were no restrictions regarding the language of publication. Trial selection, quality assessment and data abstraction were performed systematically and independently by two authors. Data from RCTs and systematic reviews, which based their findings on the results of RCTs, were included. Six systematic reviews and 25 additional RCTs met our inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The evidence related to acupuncture, acupressure, dietary supplements, homeopathy and hypnotherapy. Except for hypnotherapy, Ephedra sinica and other ephedrine-containing dietary supplements the weight of the evidence is not convincing enough to suggest effectiveness. For these interventions, small effects compared with placebo were identified. In conclusion, our findings suggest that for most complementary therapies, the weight of the evidence for reducing body is not convincing. Hypnotherapy, E. sinica and other ephedrine-containing dietary supplements may lead to small reductions in body weight. However, the intake of E. sinica and ephedrine is associated with an increased risk of adverse events. Interventions suggesting positive effects in single RCTs require independent replication.

Acupuncture for obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…On the basis of these studies, other researchers have suggested that acupuncture is not an effective weight loss treatment modality. [13][14][15] A recently conducted systematic review of Pittler and Ernst 16 reported that there was insufficient, but not conclusive evidence to support the efficacy of acupuncture and acupressure for weight loss. However, Pittler and Ernst's 16 review was based on four RCTs, which consisted of three articles published in Western journals and one in a Chinese journal.…”

“…[13][14][15] A recently conducted systematic review of Pittler and Ernst 16 reported that there was insufficient, but not conclusive evidence to support the efficacy of acupuncture and acupressure for weight loss. However, Pittler and Ernst's 16 review was based on four RCTs, which consisted of three articles published in Western journals and one in a Chinese journal. Therefore, a systematic review of RCTs, using a meta-analysis, having more detailed search without language restriction is necessary to rigorously and quantitatively evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for treating obesity, and to reconcile the different conclusions reached by previous reviews.…”

A Pilot Study of Chromium Picolinate for Weight Loss

“…A 2004 systematic review concluded that the evidence for most dietary supplements as aids in reducing body weight is inconclusive. 16 A notable exception is ephedra, found to be an effective weight loss aid, 17 though banned from the market by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004 due to safety concerns. 12 Chromium is an essential trace element and nutritional supplement that has garnered interest for use as a weight loss aid.…”

Multimodal Lifestyle Intervention: Outlines and Outcomes

“…Despite the lack of a strong evidence about eicacy and safety, CAM is widely used especially at private centers and as a folk medicine. The positive results may appear more with mild degrees of obesity [2]. For acupuncture as an example, a meta-analysis published in 2009 [16] investigated the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for acupuncture compared either with placebo-controlled or with dietary intervention for obesity management and revealed that acupuncture is an efective modality for obesity treatment.…”

“…Shift toward trial of complementary methods, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic spinal manipulation, and herbal remedies, relects the limited success rates of the nonsurgical methods for management of obesity. However, single use of a complementary remedy showed small efects with unconvincing evidence in addition to some adverse efects [2]. Low success rates of nonsurgical treatments of obesity and inadequate results may not only result in a management failure but may increase severity of obesity [3].…”