Laser Acupuncture versus Liraglutide in Treatment of Obesity: A Multi-Institutional Retrospective Cohort Study

This scientific study investigated the efficacy of laser acupuncture compared with the drug liraglutide in the treatment of obesity, using data from a large hospital database in Taiwan between 2013 and 2018.

Obesity represents one of the greatest public health challenges worldwide, affecting millions of people and significantly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, joint problems, and other chronic conditions. Conventional treatments include lifestyle changes, medications, and bariatric surgery. Liraglutide is a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that acts as a GLP-1 receptor agonist, promoting a sense of satiety and slowing gastric emptying, resulting in weight loss.

In parallel, complementary medicine, including laser acupuncture, has attracted interest as a therapeutic alternative for obesity, especially due to the possible side effects of conventional medications.

The primary objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of laser acupuncture versus liraglutide for body-weight reduction in individuals with obesity. The researchers retrospectively analyzed data from 745 patients with obesity from the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital database, of whom 173 used laser acupuncture and 572 used liraglutide. Laser acupuncture was applied with a gallium-aluminum-arsenide laser at specific points such as the stomach and hunger points on the ears, as well as body points related to the spleen and stomach in traditional Chinese medicine. Treatment was performed three to four times per week for 180 days.

Primary outcomes included changes in body weight and body-mass index, as well as the proportion of patients who achieved 5%, 10%, and 15% losses from baseline weight.

The results demonstrated that laser acupuncture users lost significantly more weight than liraglutide users after 180 days of treatment. Mean weight loss was 5.82 kg in the laser acupuncture group compared with 2.37 kg in the liraglutide group. Proportionally, laser acupuncture users lost 7.16% of body weight while liraglutide users lost 2.62%. In addition, a much larger percentage of laser acupuncture users achieved clinically significant weight loss: 64.2% lost more than 5% of baseline weight compared with only 22.7% of liraglutide users.

For losses greater than 10%, the figures were 26.6% versus 4.2%, respectively. Body-mass index also decreased more in the laser acupuncture group. These results remained consistent even after statistical adjustments to balance differences between the groups.

The clinical implications of these findings are promising for patients and clinicians. Laser acupuncture proved to be potentially more effective than liraglutide for weight loss, offering a non-pharmacologic alternative with an excellent safety profile. Throughout the study period, no adverse events were reported in the laser acupuncture group, whereas 17 liraglutide users developed hypertension and four had ischemic heart disease. Weight losses between 5% and 10% of baseline weight, achieved by the majority of laser acupuncture users, are associated with significant health benefits, including improved glycemic control, reduced cardiovascular risk, and lower healthcare costs.

The non-invasive nature of laser acupuncture, the absence of drug interactions, and the lack of systemic side effects make it an attractive option, especially for patients who do not tolerate medications or prefer integrative approaches.

The study has some important limitations that must be considered when interpreting the results. Being retrospective and observational, it does not allow for the establishment of definitive causal relationships. Significant differences existed between the groups at baseline: laser acupuncture users were younger, predominantly women, and had fewer comorbidities than liraglutide users. Although statistical techniques were used to balance these differences, randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm efficacy.

The follow-up period was relatively short (180 days), not allowing assessment of long-term effects. In addition, the population studied was predominantly Asian, raising questions about generalization of the results to other ethnicities. Information on treatment adherence, lifestyle modifications, and individual variations in the application of acupuncture could not be fully controlled.

In conclusion, this study suggests that laser acupuncture may be an effective and safe alternative to liraglutide for the treatment of obesity, offering the potential for greater weight loss with minimal adverse events. The results encourage future investigations into the use of laser acupuncture alone or in combination with approved drugs. However, larger and longer randomized clinical trials are essential to definitively establish the efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action of laser acupuncture in the treatment of obesity, as well as to determine optimal treatment protocols and identify which patients would benefit most from this integrative therapeutic approach.