OBESITY RESEARCH (© JCM Ltd)

ACUPUNCTURE FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Korean authors have carried out a meta-analysis of 29 studies of acupuncture for obesity. Compared to control of lifestyle, acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction in average body weight of 1.72 kg and associated with an improvement in obesity. Acupuncture significantly reduced body weight by an average of 1.56 kg compared with placebo or sham treatments. Acupuncture also showed more improved outcomes for body weight (mean difference=1.90 kg), as well as for obesity than conventional medication. The authors commented on the generally poor quality of the available studies. (Acupuncture for obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Feb;33(2):183-96). However an RCT carried out by Iranian researchers concluded that acupuncture combined with diet and exercise does not generate larger reductions in body weight, fat mass or body mass index than diet and exercise alone. Twenty-seven obese women with a body fat percentage of more than 30% were randomised into three groups - diet and exercise, diet, exercise and acupuncture and no intervention. After eight weeks of treatment, body mass index and fat mass, decreased significantly in both experimental groups compared with the control group, however, there was no significant difference between the two experimental groups. (The effects of triple therapy (acupuncture, diet and exercise) on body weight: a randomized, clinical trial.Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Mar 10. [Epub ahead of print]).

ELECTROACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT OF OBESITY
A Turkish study has investigated the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on obesity and accompanying psychological symptoms. One hundred and sixty-five female volunteers were divided into three groups: EA, placebo EA, and diet restriction. EA was performed using three ear and six body points. Patients receiving EA experienced a 4.8% reduction in weight compared with a 2.7% weight reduction for placebo EA and 2.5% reduction for diet restriction. Significant decreases in phobia, anger, anxiety, obsession, paranoid symptoms and depression were also seen in the EA group, compared with the other groups. (Electroacupuncture treatment of obesity with psychological symptoms. Int J Neurosci. 2007 May;117(5):579-90).

EAR ACUPUNCTURE FOR WEIGHT LOSS
In a study carried out in a psychiatric hospital, 45 patients with psychoactive-drug-induced obesity and 44 obese patients not taking such medication were randomised to receive either ear acupuncture, sham acupuncture or ear acupuncture plus physical exercise sessions. In both the drug and no-drug induced obesity groups, those who received true ear acupuncture lost weight (2.6kg average) whilst those who received the sham acupuncture gained an average of 0.6kg. Those who combined the ear acupuncture with physical exercise lost the most weight, 4.3kg. (Eich H et al. Acupuncture in the treatment of psychoactive-drug-induced obesity – an experimental study.
Dtsch Z Akup 2005; 48: 6–11).

ACUPUNCTURE AND WEIGHT LOSS
It is known that acupuncture stimulates the auricular branch of the vagal nerve and raises serotonin levels, both of which have been shown to increase tone in the smooth muscle of the stomach, thus suppressing appetite. The aim of this Australian study was to determine the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of specific auricular acupuncture points on appetite suppression. Sixty overweight subjects, randomly divided into an active and a control group, used the AcuSlim device twice daily for four weeks. The active group attached the AcuSlim to the acupuncture ear points shenmen and stomach, whereas the control group attached the device to their thumb where there are no acupuncture points. The goal of a 2kg weight loss was set and changes in appetite and weight were reported after four weeks. Of those who responded, 95% of the active group noticed suppression of appetite, whereas none of the control group noticed such a change. None of the control group lost the required 2kg, with only 4 subjects losing any weight at all. Both the number of subjects who lost weight and the mean weight loss were significantly higher in the active group. The authors conclude that frequent stimulation of specific auricular acupuncture points is an effective method of appetite suppression which leads to weight loss (Aust Fam Physician, 27 Suppl 2():S73-7 1998 Jul).