Acupuncture and Weight Loss

It has previously been shown that acupuncture is effective in reducing the Body Mass Index (BMI) of overweight or obese adults. A study conducted by Yeo S, Kim KS, and Lim S, published in Acupuncture in Medicine on December 16, 2013, seems to validate this claim. The study took 91 Korean adults, all with a BMI of 23 or greater, and divided them into three groups. Group I received auricular (ear) acupuncture at 5 points with needles replaced weekly for eight weeks. Group II received acupuncture only to the Hunger point for 8 weeks, and Group III, the sham control group, received acupuncture at the same points at Group I- however, the needles were removed immediately upon insertion to maintain effective control. Measurements including BMI, weight, and Body Fat Mass (BFM) were taken every four weeks.

Also Read: Reasons to Try Acupuncture for Weight Loss

Results show that at the end of the eight weeks, sizeable differences were found in the BMI of treatment groups I and II. BMI, weight, and BFM were all reduced in the two groups. In fact, 6.1% and a 5.7% decrease of BMI were found in Groups I and II, respectively. From the results, it can be concluded that acupuncture (specifically, ear acupuncture and acupuncture at the Hunger point) is an effective treatment for overweight people looking to lose weight.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24342715