The Role of Electroacupuncture in the Regulation of Appetite-Controlling Hormone and Inflammatory Response in Obesity.

Abstract

Objective: Obesity, a condition with serious complications, needs special attention. It is a complex and multifactorial problem and regulation of calorie balance involving various humoral and central factors is the main key for managing obesity. In addition, there is an increase in various proinflammatory cytokines and an increase in oxidative stress. There is a need to discover a useful therapy for obesity management. The goal of this review was to examine the literature on electroacupuncture (EA) as a potential therapy. Methods: This review explores the literature on EA, which has proven to be effective for inducing weight loss in experimental human and animal studies. Both continuous and dense-disperse EA waves have their own roles in hormone regulation of obesity using ST 25, CV 9, CV 12, CV 4, SP 6, ST 36, and ST 44; this is discussed the associated mechanism related to this is through suppression of various orexigenic peptides, enhancement of anorexigenic peptides, suppression of inflammatory factors, and improvement in the balance of pro-oxidants and antioxidants. Conclusions: The absence of another definitive therapy for obesity and EA's minimal side-effects make it a potential therapy for managing obesity.