ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2018
Acupuncture and Related Therapies for Obesity: A Network Meta-Analysis.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture modalities for overweight and obesity treatment: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of RCTs.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Comparative Effectiveness of East Asian Traditional Medicine for Childhood Simple Obesity: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy of acupuncture-related therapy for migraine: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Pooled it
- Comparative effectiveness of a low-calorie diet combined with acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy, meal replacements, or exercise for obesity over different intervention periods: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy of short duration versus conventional electroacupuncture in the treatment of obesity: a randomized crossover study.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2022Trial
- Perspectives in clinical research on acupuncture treatment for central obesity: A perspective.Medicine · 2025Review
- Effects of traditional Chinese medicines on weight management among adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Obesity science & practice · 2024Review
- Electroacupuncture enhances resting-state functional connectivity between dorsal caudate and precuneus and decreases associated leptin levels in overweight/obese subjects.Brain imaging and behavior · 2022Article
- Acupuncture Therapies for Individuals with Overweight or Obesity: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2022Review
- Effect of Acupoint Catgut Embedding for Middle-Aged Obesity: A Multicentre, Randomised, Sham-Controlled Trial.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
- Hypothesis paper: electroacupuncture targeting the gut-brain axis to modulate neurocognitive determinants of eating behavior-toward a proof of concept in the obese minipig model.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2021Review
- Obesity Animal Models for Acupuncture and Related Therapy Research Studies.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Review
- The Quality of Methodological and Reporting in Network Meta-Analysis of Acupuncture and Moxibustion: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Review
- The Beneficial Effects of Moxibustion on Overweight Adolescent Girls.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Article
- Article
- Acupuncture improved lipid metabolism by regulating intestinal absorption in mice.World journal of gastroenterology · 2020Article
- Evidence for acupoint catgut embedding treatment and TRPV1 gene deletion increasing weight control in murine model.International journal of molecular medicine · 2020Article
- Genome-Wide Regulation of Electroacupuncture and Treadmill Exercise on Diet-Induced Obese Rats.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2020Article
- Acupoint catgut embedding for the treatment of obesity in adults: A systematic review protocol.Medicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Obesity is a worldwide public health problem. Currently, increasing evidence suggests acupuncture and related therapies are effective for obesity. This network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to compare the effectiveness of different acupuncture and related therapies. We searched potential randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in three international databases. Thirty-four trials involving 2283 participants were included. Pairwise meta-analysis showed that acupuncture and related therapies were superior to lifestyle modification and placebo in reducing weight and body mass index (BMI). Based on decreases in body weight, results from NMA showed that acupoint catgut embedding (standard mean difference [SMD]: 1.26; 95% credible interval [95% CI], 0.46-2.06), acupuncture (SMD: 2.72; 95% CrI, 0.06-5.29), and combination of acupuncture and related theories (SMD: 3.65; 95% CrI, 0.96-6.94) were more effective than placebo. Another NMA result indicated that acupoint catgut embedding (SMD: 0.63; 95% CI, 0.25-1.11), acupuncture (SMD: 1.28; 95% CrI, 0.43-2.06), combination of acupuncture and related therapies (SMD: 1.44; 95% CrI, 0.64-2.38), and electroacupuncture (SMD: 0.60; 95% CrI, 0.03-1.22) were superior to lifestyle modification in decreasing BMI. Combination of acupuncture and related therapies was ranked the optimal method for both reducing weight and BMI. Further studies will clarify which combination of acupuncture and related therapies is better.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.