Systematic Review of the Effects of Acupuncture on BMI, Triglycerides, TNF-α, and IL-6 in Obesity Management

Introduction: Obesity is a condition of excessive fat accumulation that has the potential to cause health problems. One of the safe and efficient adjuvant therapy for obesity is acupuncture with several techniques, such as manual acupuncture, laser acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and catgut implantation. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the effect of acupuncture on body mass index (BMI), triglycerides (TG), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in obesity management. Methods: This study was a systematic review with searches on PubMed and Scopus electronic database. Inclusion criteria were obese patients aged ≥18 years who received acupuncture treatment and reported improvements in BMI, TG, TNF-a, and IL-6; publication year 2014-2024; English language; randomized controlled trial (RCT) phase >3; and free full text. Results: A total of 8 articles and 767 respondents were involved in this systematic review. Acupuncture was shown to significantly reduce BMI, TG, TNF-a, and IL-6 in obese patients. Conclusion: Acupuncture was shown to significantly reduce BMI, TG, TNF-a, and IL-6 in obese patients.