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Electro-acupuncture for central obesity: randomized, patient-assessor blinded, sham-controlled clinical trial
Linda L D Zhong1, Xingyao Wu2, Tsz Fung Lam2
1Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Study Centre, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, 3/F, Jockey Club Chinese Medicine Building, 7 Baptist University Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China. ldzhong0305@gmail.com.
Background:
Obesity is a common medical condition. Among all the classifications of obesity, central obesity is considered to be a significant threat on the health of individuals. Scientific researches have demonstrated that the accumulation of intra-abdominal fat is associated with higher metabolic and cardiovascular disease risks independently from Body Mass Index (BMI). Our previous research found that the combination of electro-acupuncture and auricular acupressure could significantly reduce the body weight and the BMI compared to sham control group.
Methods/Design:
This is a patient-assessor blinded, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial on electro-acupuncture for central obesity. One hundred sixty-eight participants with central obesity will be randomly assigned to two groups, which are the acupuncture group and the sham control group. The whole study duration will be 8-week treatment plus 8-week follow up. The primary outcome is the change in waist circumference before and after the treatment. The secondary outcomes include the changes in hip circumference, waist-to-hip circumference ratio, BMI and body fat percentage during the treatment and follow-up.
Conclusion:
The trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of electro-acupuncture for central obesity compared with sham acupuncture. The study may provide the solid evidence of electro-acupuncture on central obesity in Hong Kong.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03815253 ,Registered 24 Jan 2019.
