Impact of Weight Loss on Psychological Well Being and Biochemical Modulation in Obese Patients: A Comparison of Two Treatment Protocols

Obesity is a serious health issue by itself; it is also associated with other health problems including psychiatric illnesses. The psychological effects of dieting and weight loss have been a matter of controversy in the field of obesity management. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of weight loss as a result of two types of treatment protocols included physical training and dietary measures with acupuncture or electroacupuncture on psychological well being and biochemical modulation in obese females. Forty obese females participated in the study, and were included in two equal groups. The first group (A) received physical training combined with dietary measures and acupuncture. The second group (B) received physical training combined with dietary measures and electroacupuncture. The program consisted of three sessions per week for three months. There was a significant decrease in Body Mass Index (BMI), Leptin, Total Cholesterol (TC), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-c), Triglycerides(TG), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI ) & Profile of Mood States(POMS) and increase in High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-c) & Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) in both groups after treatments, but the changes in group (B) were greater than in group (A). However, there was no significant difference between mean levels of the investigated parameters in group (B) and group (A) at the end of the study. Physical training and dietary measures with electroacupuncture can be used as methods of choice for psychological well being and biochemical modulation in obese females.