Research
Mixed
Auricular acupoint stimulation does not significantly reduce hip circumference or waist-to-hip ratio in overweight and obese adults.
Do not expect auricular stimulation to change your hip size or waist-to-hip ratio. It primarily affects overall weight, body fat percentage, and waist circumference.
ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
These methods are less effective on hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. No significant change was noted in HC... or WHR.
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 13 RCTs, but with high heterogeneity for HC (I2=91%) and non-significant p-values.
Source
The Effect of Auricular Acupoint Stimulation in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Tzu‐Lin Yeh et al. · Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · 2017
DOI 10.1155/2017/3080547
Meta-analysis · 13 studiesCited 26×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Auricular acupoint stimulation (ear acupuncture or acupressure) significantly reduces body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference in overweight and obese adults compared to placebo or no intervention.Moderate
- Auricular acupoint stimulation treatments lasting 6 weeks or longer are more effective for reducing hip circumference than treatments shorter than 6 weeks.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
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- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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