The effect of therapeutic massage on patients with obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Obesity is related to various diseases such as endocrine metabolism and cardiovascular diseases. We provide an evidence-based evaluation for the effect of massage on patients with obesity.

Relevant literature published in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and other databases were searched until October 2023. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4. A p value less than 0.05 indicates a statistically significant difference.

Twelve studies were finally included. Compared with conventional therapy, massage therapy were more effective, mainly in terms of (1) weight [mean difference (MD) = -3.71, 95%CI = -6.51,-0.88]; (2) body mass index (BMI), [MD = -2.00, 95%CI = -3.38, -0.62]; (3) Waist circumference (WC), [MD = -6.24, 95%CI = -8.71, -3.77]; (4) total cholesterol (TC), [MD = -0.65, 95%CI = -1.08, -0.22]; (5) triglycerides (TG), [MD = -0.92, 95%CI = -1.37, -0.47].

Massage therapy may be more effective for patients with obesity than conventional treatment. Given the number of studies and potential heterogeneity, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm our conclusions.