Effects of Acupuncture on the Glutathione System in Overweight and Obese Individuals

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Department of Chinese and complementary medicine, School of Persian and Complementary Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

4 Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

5 Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS), Paradise Daneshgah, Azadi Square, Mashad, Iran

6 Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Several approaches are used for the treatment of obesity, and acupuncture has attracted attention globally in this regard. However, the therapeutic effects of acupuncture at a molecular level remain unclear. Obesity is reported to cause oxidative stress through various mechanisms. The glutathione system is one of the main antioxidant defense mechanism. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on the glutathione system as the most abundant intracellular antioxidant mechanism in overweight and obese individuals. Methods: This study was conducted on 40 obese and overweight individuals with the BMI of ≥24.9 kg/m2 who were selected randomly. The participants received authentic acupuncture (case) or sham acupuncture (control) for six weeks combined with a low-calorie diet. Before and after the intervention, the activity of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and reduced/oxidized glutathione levels were measured. Results: Higher glutathione peroxidase activity was observed in both groups after the treatment, while the increase was more significant in the case group compared to the control group (P=0.005). In addition, reduced glutathione levels were observed to increase in both groups after the treatment. Similarly, the rate of increase in the case group was more significant than the control group (P=0.02). A significant increase was also denoted in the reduced glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio in the case group compared to the control group (P=0.02). Conclusion: According to the results, the combination of acupuncture with a standard obesity diet could increase antioxidant activity in the overweight individuals. Furthermore, the approach could further prevent oxidative damage through increasing reduced glutathione and improving the GSH/GSSG ratio.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Nutrition,Fasting and Health
Volume 9, Issue 3
September 2021
Pages 196-201

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History

  • Receive Date: 17 December 2020
  • Revise Date: 16 February 2021
  • Accept Date: 03 March 2021

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