Abdominal Obesity, Weight Loss
Conditions
Brief summary
The implications of obesity, especially visceral fat, in health are well known. It would be desirable to control obesity by safe and effective treatment modalities. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of Auricular Acupuncture (AA) on body weight loss in a Portuguese sample.
Detailed description
Methods: After a pre-study, a prospective experimental randomized, controlled and single-blinded study was conducted. The sample included 31 adult women with ages ranging from 20 to 51 years old. The groups had a frequency of physical activity ≥ 2 and ≤ 4 times per week. Individuals with BMI ≤ 24.9 Kg/m2 and pregnant women excluded from the study. All participants were then randomized into one of three groups: group 1 was treated with Vaccaria seeds plus diet therapy, group 2 with ASP needles plus diet therapy and finally, group 3 received only diet therapy. A licensed nutritionist prescribed the hypocaloric diet plan. Baseline evaluation included anthropometric measures collected according to standardized procedures. They received two treatments per week for a total of 6 weeks. After one month of follow-up, all the anthropometric measures were reevaluated. Main Parameters: Weight/body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Secondary parameters: Waist to height ratio (WHtR), weight and Body Mass Index (BMI).
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTHypocaloric diet plan
The hypocaloric diet is one in which there is a reduction of daily calories or foods with high caloric density usually in order to aid weight loss.
OTHERAuricular Acupuncture
Auriculotherapy is a technique derived from traditional acupuncture developed into a distinct treatment system of its own. It is based on either, the introduction of needles (auricular acupuncture), or pressure with Vaccaria seeds (acupressure). Those forms of auriculotherapy are applied on a set of anatomical maps at a specific point in the auricular region.
OTHERAcupressure
Auriculotherapy is a technique derived from traditional acupuncture developed into a distinct treatment system of its own. It is based on either, the introduction of needles (auricular acupuncture), or pressure with Vaccaria seeds (acupressure). Those forms of auriculotherapy are applied on a set of anatomical maps at a specific point in the auricular region.
Sponsors
Andreia Vieira
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adults * Unfamiliar to acupuncture
Exclusion criteria
* Psychotropic medication * Psychiatric or thyroid disorders * Pregnancy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (kg) | 1 month | TANITA® bio-impedance scale (model 762) |
| Waist Perimeter (cm) | 1 month | tape measure from SECA® (model 203) |
| height (cm) | 1 month | SECA® stadiometer (model 208) |
| body fat (%) | 1 month | TANITA® bio-impedance scale (model 762) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 1 month | Body mass index is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height. |
| Waist-to-height ratio (cm2) | 1 month | The WHTR was obtained by dividing the waist circumference (cm) by height (cm). |
Outcome results
None listed