Acupuncture Faces Challenges

Scientists Query Study Saying Ear Acupuncture Aids Weight Loss

Scientists derided research published on Tuesday that suggested ear acupuncture may help people lose weight, saying the study's design was flawed and its conclusions highly implausible.

Responding to the findings of research published online in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, experts not involved in the work said it was unreliable and probably a waste of money.

"It is hard to think of a treatment that is less plausible than ear acupuncture," said Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at Britain's University of Exeter.

A summary statement about the study, conducted by Korean researchers, said it compared three approaches in a total of 91 people - acupuncture on five points on the outer ear, acupuncture on one point, and a sham treatment as a control.

It said participants were asked to follow a restrictive diet, but not one designed to lead to weight loss, and not to take any extra exercise during eight weeks of treatment.

Its results suggested significant differences were apparent after four weeks, with the active treatment groups receiving acupuncture on one or five points having lower body mass index scores compared with the sham treatment group, where there was no such reduction.

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