Clinical study of the effect of Acupuncture treatment on blood glucose level and HbAc1 in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Amir Hooman Kazemi, M.D., Clinical Ph.D
Abstract
Objective: Diabetes Mellitus and its associated metabolic dysregulations with an increasing incidence worldwide will be likely a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the future. Acupuncture has been suggested to have therapeutic effects on diabetes symptoms, reducing hyperglycemia, increasing insulin sensitivity and improving lipid metabolism in animals and humans with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of acupuncture in combination with metformin on blood glucose levels and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) among patients with T2DM.
Method: Eighty participants with T2DM were allocated randomly to treatment group (n=40) and control group (n=40). In addition to metformin therapy, patients in the treatment group received acupoint stimulation, and the control group was given sham acupuncture. Both groups were treated for 12 sessions in 6 weeks (three times per week for two weeks, then two times per week for two weeks, and then once weekly for two weeks), and maintenance treatment was performed for two sessions once every other week. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was measured at pre-treatment, after one week, two weeks, four weeks, six weeks and twelve weeks post-treatment. HbA1c was assessed once before treatment and once twelve weeks after treatment.
Results: At the pre-treatment measurements, there were no significant differences in indices between both groups (P > 0.05). At post-treatment, each index of the acupuncture group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05), and improved in comparison with the pre-treatment measurements (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Acupuncture combined with metformin has greater effect than metformine alone on glycemic control. Consequently, acupuncture could be used as an adjuvant therapy in clinical application among patients with T2DM.
Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Acupuncture Therapy; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated