Study on the effect of acupuncture and massage on obesity

Obesity is one of the leading health risk factors worldwide and is associated with several other risk factors and health problems. Acupuncture is used to treat various health problems, including obesity.

55 obese women with a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m² were enrolled in this study under Junfeng He and randomly divided into two groups: one group received combined manual acupuncture and massage therapy (MAMT), the other only manual acupuncture therapy (MAT). In addition, 40 overweight women with a BMI of 23-25 kg/m² were also randomly divided into two groups, one group receiving MAMT and the other MAT. The therapy was administered daily for 21 days, and body weight and BMI were recorded daily.

The results showed that both MAMT and MAT were able to significantly reduce body weight and BMI compared to baseline values. However, the differences in body weight and BMI reductions between pre- and post-treatment in the MAMT and MAT groups were not statistically significant. The best results in the reduction of body weight and BMI were achieved in the first 4 days.

Considering the economic factors (time and money) of alternative therapies, MAT alone could be a viable option in the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults .