Acupuncture Improves Intestinal Absorption of Iron in Iron-deficient Obese Patients: A Randomized Controlled Preliminary Trial

Acupuncture for obesity：study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Obesity is a major public health issue in China and around the world. While acupuncture is often used in clinical practice, there is a lack of conclusive evidence for its weight-loss effect. Thus we will conduct a parallel, randomised, sham-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating obesity.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A total of 160 eligible participants with obesity will be randomly assigned to the verum acupuncture group or sham acupuncture group at a ratio of 1:1. All participants will be treated three times a week for a duration of 12 weeks, and followed up for another 16 weeks. The primary outcome is the percentage change in body weight from baseline to Week 12. The secondary outcomes include body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BF%), blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, insulin, glycosylated haemoglobin A1c, blood lipids, and physical functioning score on the Short Form 36 Health Survey. Other secondary outcomes including psychological and social functions will also be evaluated using the body image scale, psychological function scale, and social function scale of the BODY-Q, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. BMI, WC, BF% and blood pressure will be evaluated at Week 0, 4, 8, 12 and 28. Other secondary outcomes will be measured at Week 0, 12 and 28, respectively. Adverse events will be recorded in detail during the trial.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval of this trial was granted by the Ethics Committee of Chengdu Sport University (2023-102). Written informed consent will be obtained from study participants before enrolment. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200062092).

Effect of Needling at Selected Acupuncture Points (GB39, BL17, LR13) on Hemoglobin Levels in Anemia: a Randomized Placebo Controlled Study

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is an important public health issue in India. This study was performed to determine the impact of acupuncture at the GB39, BL17, and LR13 points on hemoglobin levels, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and red cell distribution width (RDW) in people with IDA. One hundred women with IDA were randomly allocated to the acupuncture group (AG) or placebo control group (PCG). For 30 minutes per day, daily for 2 weeks, the AG received acupuncture at GB39, BL17, and LR13, while the PCG received needling at non-acupuncture points. Outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention. We found a significant increase (p < 0.001) in hemoglobin level (AG 10.39-11.38 g/dl, effect size 0.785; PCG 10.58-10.40 g/dl, effect size 0.191), MCH (AG 25.69-27.50 fl, effect size 0.418; PCG 27.43-27.23 fl, effect size 0.058), and RDW (AG 15.12-16.41 fl, effect size 0.626; PCG 14.91-14.94 fl, effect size 0.017) in the AG compared to the PCG. Results suggest that needling at the GB39, BL17, and LR13 acupuncture points is more effective in treating people with IDA than needling at non-acupuncture points.

Acupuncture and related techniques for obesity and cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess how acupuncture and related techniques affect weight-related indicators and cardiovascular risk factors compared with non-acupuncture interventions in overweight and obese patients.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL up to 19 April 2018 and included relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using the inverse variance method with random-effects model. Prespecified hypotheses were tested in meta-regression to investigate the source of heterogeneity. Statistical software packages used were RevMan 5.3.5 and Stata 14.0.

RESULTS

Thirty-three RCTs were included (n=2503 patients). Compared with non-acupuncture interventions, acupuncture produced a greater reduction in body weight (WMD -1.76 kg, 95% CI -2.22 to -1.30, I²=77%; moderate quality), body mass index (WMD -1.13 kg/m², 95% CI -1.38 to -0.88, I²=85%; low quality) and waist circumference (WMD -2.42 cm, 95% CI -3.22 to -1.62, I²=75%; moderate quality). Acupuncture plus lifestyle intervention resulted in a greater reduction in body weight than acupuncture alone (MD -1.94 kg, 95% CI -3.17 to -0.70). Acupuncture also led to a greater reduction in total cholesterol (WMD -12.87 mg/dL, 95% CI -22.17 to -3.57, I²=87%; very low quality) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD -13.52 mg/dL, 95% CI -21.47 to -5.58, I²=74%; low quality). The differences were not statistically significant for blood glucose or blood pressure.

CONCLUSION

In the short term, acupuncture and related techniques may produce a small but statistically significant degree of weight loss based on moderate- to low-quality evidence, and improve serum lipid parameters based on low- to very-low-quality evidence. Their effects on blood glucose and blood pressure remain uncertain.

Acupuncture Application in Chronic Kidney Disease and its Potential Mechanisms

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasing major public health problem worldwide. The number of CKD patients on hemodialysis is growing rapidly as well. Acupuncture technique is one of the traditional Chinese medicine methods and has been used in a variety of diseases. Nowadays, the clinical application of acupuncture technique for CKD patients has become the focus for its effectiveness and security. In this paper, we will review the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of different acupuncture techniques for CKD patients. In patients with CKD, acupuncture improves renal function, reduces proteinuria, controls hypertension, corrects anemia, relieves pain, and controls many hemodialysis-related complications such as uremic pruritus, insomnia and fatigue. The mechanisms are related to the regulation of sympathetic nerve and the activation of bioactive chemicals. In conclusion, acupuncture is proved to be beneficial for CKD patients. More research, however, is needed to verify the potential mechanisms.