The effectiveness of different modes of acupuncture for mature adult females with obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of different modes of acupuncture for obesity treatment in adult females. Auricular Acupuncture (AA), Electroacupuncture (EA), and Manual Acupuncture (MA) were the acupuncture methods evaluated. This was accomplished through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods Seven electronic databases were searched from inception to May 2022 to source for Randomized Control Trials (RCTs). Acupuncture's effect on obesity in adult females was measured using body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and body weight (BW). To assess the quality of the RCTs, the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias Tool was used. Pooled analysis was done using the Review Manager software and the random-effects model was used to account for heterogeneity of the included studies. The differences between treatment groups were reported as mean differences (MD). Results 12 RCTs were selected through screening of results from electronic databases. The acupuncture and control groups each had 375 and 376 participants, respectively. Body parameters such as BMI, WC, and BW were found to be reduced by AA, EA, and MA. BMI had a MD of -0.81kg/m² (95% CI= -1.26 to -0.37, P=0.0003), WC had a MD of -1.10cm (95% CI= -2.08 to -0.12, P=0.03), and BW had a MD of -1.37kg (95% CI= -2.17 to -0.58, P=0.0007). Conclusion Acupuncture showed potential benefits to improve BMI, BW, and WC in obese adult females, indicating its efficacy in treatment. However, these findings must be confirmed by higher-quality RCTs in the future.