Effects of electroacupuncture in reducing weight and waist circumference in obese women: a randomized crossover trial

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To compare the effects of weight control on simple obese women between electroacupuncture and sit-up exercise. DESIGN: Randomized and crossover trial conducted from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002. The subjects were randomly divided into groups A and B. Group A received electroacupuncture treatment first while group B received sit-up exercise treatment first. After 6 weeks of treatment and 7 days of washout, group A switched to sit-up exercise treatment and group B received electroacupuncture treatment for another 6 weeks. PATIENTS: In total, 54 simple obese women, with waist circumference (WC)490 cm and body mass index (BMI)430 kg/m 2 , and who had not received any other weight control maneuver within the last 3 months. MEASUREMENT: The measurements of body weight (BW), BMI and WC were performed at the beginning, 6, 8 and 13 weeks. The data at different time periods were compared and expressed as % reductions. RESULTS: Electroacupuncture (n ¼ 46) showed significant differences in the % reductions in BW (P ¼ 0.001), BMI (P ¼ 0.003) and WC (P ¼ 0.005) compared with sit-up exercise. At the end of 13 weeks, there were no significant difference between groups A (n ¼ 24) and B (n ¼ 22) in all the measurements. At the end of the study, groups A and B showed significant differences in the % reductions in BW (P ¼ 0.004; 0.001), BMI (P ¼ 0.003; 0.021) and WC (Pr0.001; 0.001) compared with the initial values. CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture treatment is more effective than sit-up exercise in reducing weight and WC, making it an alternative treatment option for weight and WC control on obese women.

Acupuncture for obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Allison et al 40 reported three adverse events, namely, redness, pain or discomfort, and bleeding in ears in auricular acupuncture group compared to none in placebo group, although their frequencies were not statistically different. Hsu et al 38 reported no major adverse event; however, mild ecchymosis (n ¼ 2) and abdominal discomfort after electroacupuncture treatment (n ¼ 1) was observed. Richards and Marley 34 reported a case of intercurrent illness and discomfort in a placebo group, whereas Dong 43 reported mild adverse effects, such as dry mouth, headaches, sleepiness, hypertension, palpitations and dizziness, up to 16.7% in the acupuncture group, compared with 42.9% in a group of receiving medication.…”

“…A total of 2 RCTs 31,32 provided insufficient information so that 29 RCTs were used for our meta-analysis. Acupuncture for obesity S-H Cho et al described their randomization procedure, [34][35][36][37][38] whereas information of dropout or withdrawal was described in 10 trials (32%). Among 26 trials that did not report the randomization procedure, 20 trials (77%) scored the lowest with respect to methodological quality (Table 1).…”

“…Statistical heterogeneity was not found among studies (I 2 ¼ 0%). Comparisons made with lifestyle controls were classical acupuncture, 35,37 electroacupuncture, 38,54 or acupressure approaches. 36 In the meta-analysis of acupuncture style, no significant difference was found for groups of electroacupuncture (pooled MD ¼ 1.2 kg, 95% CI ¼ À0.65-3.05).…”

“…58 Another study, however, reported significant improvement for a group receiving electroacupuncture and auricular acupressure compared with a group receiving transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation treatment (RR ¼ 1.61, 95% CI ¼ 1.20-2.17). 61 Adverse events Among studies observing adverse events, four RCTs reported minimal adverse events, 34,38,40,43 whereas two RCTs reported no adverse events, 32,42 compared to appropriate control groups. Allison et al 40 reported three adverse events, namely, redness, pain or discomfort, and bleeding in ears in auricular acupuncture group compared to none in placebo group, although their frequencies were not statistically different.…”

Acupuncture in the Treatment of Obesity: A Narrative Review of the Literature

“…For EA the evidence is more positive; the majority of studies suggest that EA induces significantly greater weight loss than sham EA, 18 78 or acupuncture performed at no acupuncture points 85 whereas only one study concluded that EA and exercise resulted in similar reductions in body weight. 77 Effects on obesity-related peptides As already mentioned, obesity is characterised by hyperleptinaemia and leptin resistance. Both manual 72 83 and auricular acupuncture 74 as well as EA 79 83 exert a beneficial effect on leptin resistance and cause a significant decrease in plasma leptin levels in obese patients compared with sham 72 74 or diet alone.…”