Auricular acupuncture in obese women
There were changes in hormones, but these women won’t being buying a smaller dress size.
First, the details.
- 45 obese women with body mass index (BMI) greater than 27 kg/m(2) and who had not received any other weight control measures within the last 3 months completed the study
- A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal for most adults.
- They were randomly assigned to a treatment twice each week for 6 weeks.
- Auricular acupuncture
- Sham auricular acupuncture using placebo needles
- The women didn’t know their treatment — single-blind.
And, the results.
- There was no significant difference in percent reduction in body weight, BMI, and waist circumference between groups.
- After treatment, there was a significant increase in ghrelin levels and decrease in leptin levels in the acupuncture group.
- Ghrelin is a hormone in the stomach that appears to stimulate appetite.
- Leptin is a hormone that is thought to suppress appetite and speed metabolism.
- No side effects were reported.
The bottom line?
Somehow, the authors concluded, “Auricular acupuncture may have potential benefit on obesity-related hormone peptides.”
Apparently, they didn’t see the 800 pound gorilla.
5/19/09 17:18 JR