The Effect of Acupuncture on Sarcopenia and Obesity in Patients With Sarcopenic Obesity.

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Diet and exercise: This group will receive a total of 10 sessions per week, 2 days a week consisting of aerobic exercises, resistance exercises, posture and balance exercises, and breathing exercises, as well as a diet program targeting sarcopenic obesity.

Acupuncture: The second group will receive acupuncture treatment in addition to diet and exercise. Acupuncture treatment will be applied twice a week for a total of 10 sessions, with each session lasting at least 20 minutes. The acupuncture points the investigators will use in the treatment have been determined based on previous research and are as follows: body acupuncture points ST25, ST36, SP15, LI4, Ren12, Ren6, Ki3, GB34, SP3, SP6, Liv8, SJ-6, Du 20, Yin Tang, Tai Yin; ear acupuncture points are shenmen, large intestine, hunger, and mouth points.

Study summary

Sarcopenia is defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) as "a syndrome characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, carrying a risk of adverse outcomes such as physical disability, fractures, falls, impaired quality of life, and death. Obesity is classified according to the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters. According to the World Health Organization and most current guidelines for Western societies, obesity is defined as a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m². Sarcopenic obesity was first defined by Baumgartner as the co-occurrence of sarcopenia and obesity, measured using DEXA (10). Sarcopenic obesity is defined as the co-occurrence of high adiposity and sarcopenia; a term originally coined to describe low skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical function, initially diagnosed in the elderly but present across the entire age spectrum. Combining the effects of both sarcopenia and obesity, sarcopenic obesity has been found to be associated with lower quality of life and greater disability, morbidity, and mortality compared to obesity or sarcopenia alone. Acupuncture is derived from the Latin words for needle (acus) and piercing (punctura). In Western languages, it is written as acupuncture. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that diseases are caused by disturbances in the flow of life energy (Qi) circulating in channels called meridians in the body. Acupuncture aims to correct this disrupted energy flow by inserting needles into specific points along the meridians in the body. Numerous studies have reported that acupuncture is widely used in the treatment of obesity. Current evidence-based reviews have shown that acupuncture is effective in treating obesity. It has been suggested that acupuncture is an effective treatment for simple obesity rather than a placebo effect.

The literature contains many studies on acupuncture in the treatment of obesity. However, there are no studies on acupuncture in sarcopenic obesity. Our study aimed to determine the effect of acupuncture on sarcopenia and obesity in patients with sarcopenic obesity.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Appendicular skeletal muscle mass — baseline-Week 6-Week 12
  Body composition was assessed using a DEXA scanner (Lunar iDXA; GE Healthcare, 3030 Ohmeda Drive, Madison, WI 53718, USA). Participants' weight, muscle mass and lean mass values were recorded. ASM was calculated as the sum of the bone-free lean mass of the four limbs.
• weight — baseline-week 6-week 12
  The weight was measured with a standardized weight scale.
• body mass index — baseline-week 6-week 12
  BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m²).

Trial sites (1)

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