At a moment when GLP-1 agonists — semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) and liraglutide — dominate the debate on pharmacotherapy of obesity, a study published on January 8, 2026 in Chinese Medicine (Springer Nature) offers a finding with considerable clinical and translational implications: electroacupuncture suppresses appetite and reduces weight in models of diet-induced obesity through the same neural circuit that GLP-1 agonists exploit — the vagal-GLP-1-arcuate nucleus (ARC) axis of the hypothalamus.
MAIN FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
The vagal-GLP-1-ARC circuit: from gut to hypothalamus
The study, conducted by Yang et al. of Wuhan University, used male Wistar rats with obesity induced by a high-fat diet for 8 weeks. The electroacupuncture group received stimulation at established acupoints for an additional 8 weeks. Using chemogenetic techniques (DREADD), the researchers were able to selectively activate or inhibit GLP-1-producing neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) of the brainstem — the first relay station for vagal afferent signals from the gastrointestinal tract.
The result: electroacupuncture increased the excitability of gastric vagal afferent fibers and promoted the expression of GLP-1 in NTS neurons. The released GLP-1, in turn, modulated neuropeptides in the hypothalamic ARC — increasing POMC (proopiomelanocortin, anorexigenic) and reducing NPY (neuropeptide Y, orexigenic). This rebalance translated into a progressive reduction in 24-hour food intake and a slowdown in weight gain, with a statistically significant difference from week 6 of treatment.
Electroacupuncture versus transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation
An additional relevant finding of the study was the comparison between electroacupuncture (EA) and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) — a non-invasive technique that stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. Both interventions activated NTS-GLP-1 neurons and produced weight reduction, but EA induced significantly greater activation of vagal afferent fibers compared with taVNS. This suggests that stimulation of acupoints on the trunk and abdomen accesses the vagus nerve through afferent pathways additional to those exploited by auricular stimulation, potentiating the central anorexigenic signal.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no clinical evidence that supports this claim. The 2026 study demonstrates that electroacupuncture and GLP-1 agonists share a common neural mechanism of action — the vagal-GLP-1-ARC circuit — but in animal models. GLP-1 agonists produce greater and more consistent weight reductions in large-scale clinical trials in humans. Electroacupuncture may be considered as an adjunct or alternative for patients with intolerance to these medications, always under individualized medical assessment.
The most studied clinical protocols include acupoints on the stomach meridian (ST-25, ST-36, ST-40), spleen/pancreas (SP-6, SP-9), and auricular points such as the auricular concha (associated with the vagus nerve). The definitive selection of acupoints should be made by the medical acupuncturist based on the clinical assessment of the patient, considering comorbidity patterns such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.
Fonte Original
Chinese Medicine(em inglês)Founded in 1989 by physicians trained at the University of São Paulo (USP) and specialized in China, CEIMEC is a Brazilian national reference in the teaching and practice of medical acupuncture. With more than 3,000 physicians trained over 35 years, it collaborates with HC-FMUSP and is recognized by the Brazilian Medical College of Acupuncture (CMBA/AMB).
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