Acupuncture for obesity and related diseases: Insight for regulating neural circuit

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Obesity is associated with numerous pathological changes including insulin resistance, fatty liver, hyperlipidemias, and other obesity-related diseases. These comorbidities comprise a significant public health threat. Existing anti-obesity drugs have been limited by side effects that include depression, suicidal thoughts, cardiovascular complications and stroke. Acupuncture treatment has been shown to be effective for treating obesity and obesity-related conditions, while avoiding side effects. However, the mechanisms of acupuncture in treating obesity-related diseases, especially its effect on neural circuits, are not well understood. A growing body of research has studied acupuncture's effects on the endocrine system and other mechanisms related to the regulation of neural circuits. In this article, recent research that was relevant to the use of acupuncture to treat obesity and obesity-related diseases through the neuroendocrine system, as well as some neural circuits involved, was summarized. Based on this, acupuncture's potential ability to regulate neural circuits and its mechanisms of action in the endocrine system were reviewed, leading to a deeper mechanistic understanding of acupuncture's effects and providing insight and direction for future research about obesity. Please cite this article as: Jiang LY, Tian J, Yang YN, Jia SH, Shu Q. Acupuncture for obesity and related diseases: insight for regulating neural circuit. J Integr Med. 2024; Epub ahead of print.