Acupoint Catgut Embedding versus Acupuncture for Simple Obesity A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background : Acupuncture is very popular for reducing weight in China, in this work, we evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of acupoint catgut embedding and acupuncture on simple obesity by Meta-analysis. Methods : Studies on clinical randomized controlled trials of acupoint catgut embedding for simple obesity which were published from January 2015 to November 2020 were searched in PubMed, VIP, CNKI and Wanfang databases. And those that met the inclusion criteria were screened. RevMan5.3 was used for Meta-analysis of effectiveness rate, BMI, waist circumference and body mass. The “Risk of Bias” tool was used to evaluate the quality of included studies. R studio software was used for the measurement of publication bias. Results : A total of 33 studies were included for meta-analysis, including 2,685 patients with simple obesity. Meta-analysis results showed the comparison of effectiveness rate was RR= 1.12, 95%CI [1.08,1.16], the comparison of BMI was MD=-1.11, 95%CI [-2.04, -0.18], the comparison of waist circumference was MD=-2.27, 95%CI [-4.26,-0.28], and the comparison of body mass was MD=-2.24,95%CI [-3.78,-0.71].On the basis of diet and exercise intervention, the effectiveness rate RR=2.11, 95%CI [1.38,3.24], BMI MD=-0.88, 95%CI [-1.35,-0.40], waist circumference MD=-1.10, 95%CI [-4.27,2.07]and body mass MD=-0.68, 95%CI [-2.90,1.54].The risk of bias of included literatures was low. Conclusions : Acupoint catgut embedding therapy was slightly better than acupuncture therapy in effectiveness rate, BMI, waist circumference and body mass. Moreover, the treatment frequency of acupoint catgut embedding is less with larger stimulation intensity, which is more conducive to clinical promotion.