Effect of acupuncture treatment for weight loss on gut flora in patients with simple obesity

Acupuncture is used in the management of obesity, but the mechanisms of its action are not known. We explored the effect of abdominal acupuncture treatment on body mass index (BMI) and on intestinal flora. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Eighth Hospital. Informed consent was obtained, and the study was based on the STandards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines.1 A total of 45 cases, all women, were invited from the specialist clinic for simple obesity using acupuncture at Shanghai Eighth Hospital. Cases were randomly divided into one of 3 groups: 2 treatment groups and 1 control group (15 cases each). The women ranged between 29–63 years in age, mean age 48.8±SD 13.3 years. Patients were included if they had BMI≥242 with no endocrine or metabolic cause. Patients with complications or who failed to complete treatment were withdrawn. Exclusion criteria were: pregnancy or lactation; serious heart, liver, kidney, brain conditions and other serious complications of other primary diseases, mental illness, courses of antibiotics, etc. …