The Efficacy of Electroacupuncture Therapy for Weight Loss Changes Plasma Lipoprotein A, Apolipoprotein A and Apolipoprotein B Levels in Obese Women

Abstract

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture treatment on lipoprotein A, apolipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B levels in obese subjects. Fifty-eight women were studied in 3 groups as follows: 1) Placebo acupuncture (n = 15; mean age = 41.47 +/- 4.61, and mean body mass index {BMI} = 33.43 +/- 3.10); 2) Electroacupuncture (EA) (n = 20; mean age = 40.55 +/- 5.30, and BMI = 35.65 +/- 3.84) and 3) Diet restriction groups (n = 23; mean age = 42.91 +/- 4.02, and BMI = 34.78 +/- 3.29). EA was performed using the ear points, Hungry, Shen Men and Stomach the body points, Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Tianshu (St 25), Zusanli (St 36), Neiting (St 44) and Taichong (Liv 3) for 20 days. Intragroup comparisons were made by using paired samples t-test whereas intergroup differences were investigated by the two-way variation analysis and LSD test. There was a 4.7% (p < 0.001) weight reduction in patients with electroacupuncture application, whereas patients in diet restriction had a 2.9% (p < 0.001) weight reduction. There were significant decreases in lipoprotein A (p < 0.05) and apolipoprotein B (p < 0.05) levels in the EA compared to the control group and no changes in apolipoprotein A levels was observed in EA, diet and placebo acupuncture groups. EA therapy may be a useful approach for the treatment of obesity for both losing weight and lowing the risk factors for cardiovascular disease associated with obesity, since this application may decrease the plasma lipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B levels.

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

“…Significant decreases in total cholesterol, 66 76 LDL-C 76 85 and triglycerides 66 76 were observed whereas HDL-C did not change significantly. 76 In another study 84 there were significant decreases in lipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B and no changes in apolipoprotein A levels.…”

Auricular Acupressure Plus Exercise for Treating Primary Obese Women: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

“…15 After being treated with electroacupuncture at auricular acupoints plus body acupoints for 20 days, there was a 4.7% weight reduction in patients with obesity, whereas patients in a diet restriction group had a 2.9% weight reduction. 19 A statistically significant drop in WC during a 9-week treatment using auricular acupuncture occurred in obese volunteers. 22 Decreases in leptin, 23 increases in serumb-endorphin level, 24 an increase in basal metabolic rate, 25 and appetite suppression 20 were suggested as possible mechanisms involved in weight reduction by auricular acupuncture.…”

“…[14][15][16][17] Auricular acupuncture points for treating obesity are: Shenmen, Spleen, Mouth, Stomach, Endocrine points, Small Intestine, Large Intestine, and Hunger. [17][18][19][20][21] There are also other acupoints used to treat obesity; however, not all of them were used in the current study because of the practical procedures required in the hospital. The most commonly used acupoints are Shenmen and Stomach.…”

“…The most commonly used acupoints are Shenmen and Stomach. Different kinds of methods-including auricular acupuncture, 21 auricular acupressure, 14-16 auricular electroacupuncture, 19 and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation 20 -have been used to treat obesity. The vaccaria line seed 18 and magnetic pearls 14,15 are used for auricular acupressure.…”

Where have the organizers gone? – The growth control system as a foundation of physiology

“…Acupuncture has been shown to regulate bone morphogenetic protein, retinoic acid [84], wnt, nerve growth factor, [85,86] IGF-1 [87,87,88] , platelet derived growth factor [89], atrogin-1, protein kinase Akt1, [70] vascular endothelial growth factor, angiogenesis, [90] increase bone density [91,91,92], neuroplasticity (as in the healing of spinal cord injury) [87], and stem cell proliferation. [93] , [69] Acupuncture showed promise in ameliorating muscle atrophy, [70] osteoporosis [94] , [91] obesity [95], diabetes [96], polycystic ovary syndrome [86], stroke [90], and sepsis [97,98]. The perturbation at singular points of a system can stimulate self-organizing activities and cause a process of normalization by shaking a system out of a suboptimal state similar to simulated annealing.…”