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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Jan 12;103(2):e36774.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000036774.

Effects of electroacupuncture on obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Junhyuk Kang  1 , Woo-Chul Shin  1   2 , Koh-Woon Kim  2 , Sungha Kim  3 , Hyungsuk Kim  1   2 , Jae-Heung Cho  1   2 , Mi-Yeon Song  1   2 , Won-Seok Chung  1   2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effects of electroacupuncture on obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Junhyuk Kang et al. Medicine (Baltimore). .

Abstract

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of electroacupuncture for the treatment of obesity.

Methods: We searched 8 electronic databases for articles published between 2005 and 2021, including only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the review. The intervention groups received either electroacupuncture alone or electroacupuncture with standard care, whereas the control groups received sham electroacupuncture, standard care, or no treatment. The primary outcome was the body mass index (BMI), and the secondary outcomes were the body weight (BW), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body fat mass, body fat percentage, and adverse effects. Continuous outcome data are presented as mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis included 13 RCTs involving 779 participants. Results revealed that the BMI (MD: -0.98; 95% CI: -1.35 to -0.61), BW (MD: -1.89; 95% CI: -2.97 to -0.80), WC (MD: -2.67; 95% CI: -4.52 to -0.82), and WHR (MD: -0.03; 95% CI: -0.06 to -0.01) were significantly improved in the intervention groups compared with those in the control groups. Adverse effects were reported in 5 studies. The most commonly used acupoint in the abdomen was ST25, whereas the most commonly used acupoints in other regions were ST36 and SP6 for the treatment of obesity. ST25 was the most commonly used acupoint connected by electroacupuncture.

Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that electroacupuncture is an effective and safe therapy for simple obesity. To increase the reliability of this study, further detailed, long-term studies should be conducted on the effects of electroacupuncture on obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors of this work have nothing to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of the systematic review.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Risk of bias graph.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Summary of risk of bias.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Forest plot for BMI. BMI = body mass index.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Forest plot for BW. BW = body weight.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Forest plot for WC. WC = waist circumference.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Forest plot for HC. HC = hip circumference.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Forest plot for WHR. WHR = waist-to-hip ratio.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Forest plot for BFM. BFM = body fat mass.
Figure 10.
Figure 10.
Forest plot for BFP. BFP = body fat percentage.
Figure 11.
Figure 11.
Funnel plot for BMI. BMI = body mass index.
Figure 12.
Figure 12.
Funnel plot for BW. BW = body weight.
Figure 13.
Figure 13.
Funnel plot for WC. WC = waist circumference.
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