[Efficacy difference between warming acupuncture and other acupuncture methods for primary obesity: a Meta-analysis]

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Obesity Research
• Acupuncture Therapeutics

Background:

• Primary obesity is a complex metabolic disorder with significant public health implications.
• Acupuncture is a widely used complementary therapy for weight management.
• Warming acupuncture, a specific modality, warrants investigation for its comparative efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the efficacy of warming acupuncture versus other acupuncture methods for primary obesity.
• To compare treatment outcomes including weight reduction, BMI, body circumference, and lipid profiles.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, etc.) up to October 2017.
• Included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing warming acupuncture with other acupuncture techniques for primary obesity.
• Meta-analysis was performed using relative risk (RR) and weighted mean difference (WMD) for data synthesis.

Main Results:

• Thirteen RCTs involving 878 patients were analyzed.
• Warming acupuncture significantly reduced weight (WMD: -1.49 kg), BMI (WMD: -1.24 kg/m²), waist circumference (WMD: -1.65 cm), and hip circumference (WMD: -2.86 cm).
• It also improved the total effective rate (RR=1.16) but did not significantly affect total cholesterol levels (WMD: -0.05 mmol/L).

Conclusions:

• Warming acupuncture exhibits superior efficacy in treating primary obesity compared to other acupuncture methods.
• The benefits include significant reductions in key anthropometric measures.
• Warming acupuncture has limited effects on improving lipid indicators.