The Effects of Acupuncture on the Glutathione System of Overweight and Obese Subjects

Introduction: Obesity is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Several approaches are used for the treatment of obesity, and acupuncture has attracted attention globally in this regard. However, the therapeutic effects of acupuncture at a molecular level remain unclear. The glutathione system is a major antioxidant defense mechanism. Obesity is reported to cause oxidative stress through various mechanisms. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on the glutathione system as the most significant intracellular antioxidant mechanism in overweight and obese individuals.  Methods: This study was conducted on 40 obese and overweight individuals with the BMI of ≥24.9 kg/m2 who were selected randomly. The participants received authentic acupuncture (case) or sham acupuncture (control) for six weeks combined with a low-calorie diet. Before and after the intervention, the activity of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and reduced/oxidized glutathione levels were measured.  Results: Higher glutathione peroxidase activity was observed in both groups after the treatment, while the increase was more significant in the case group compared to the control group (P=0.005). In addition, reduced glutathione levels were observed to increase in both groups after the treatment. Similarly, the rate of increase in the case group was more significant than the control group (P=0.02). A significant increase was also denoted in the reduced glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio in the case group compared to the control group (P=0.02).  Conclusion: According to the results, the combination of acupuncture with a standard obesity diet could increase antioxidant activity in the overweight individuals. Furthermore, the approach could further prevent oxidative damage through increasing reduced glutathione and improving the GSH/GSSG ratio.