Discussion
obesity, hyperactivity, Acupuncture, satiety, intestinal motility, weight loss
OBESITY, OBESE
Our aim was to compare the effect of diet and exercise on anthropometric parameters and lipid profile with laser acupuncture effect on obese adolescents. We found a significant decrease in all anthropometric parameters and lipid profile after the intervention in group A (LCD + exercise) and group B (LCD+ exercise+ LA) with a significant difference between both groups in weight, BMI, subscapular SFT, MUAC, and waist circumference, where the highest reduction was found in group B compared to group A but showed no statistically significant difference in W/H ratio, between the two groups. Moreover, our study revealed a significant increase in HDL serum levels in group B than group A. This indicates that the use of laser for 2 times/week for 12 weeks with diet control and exercise had a better effect on anthropometric parameters and lipid profile. We used a low-level laser as it was useful for reaching deep acupuncture points. Energy density is the most crucial variable in the laser acupuncture procedure. It has been observed that doses of 0.5–2.5 J/cmOur results were in agreement with a study done in 2020, which carried out a study on 38 adults divided into 2 groups: the treatment group (laser acupuncture + LCD) and the control group (sham laser acupuncture + LCD) 3 times/week for 4 weeks. The study revealed that BMI, after 12 sessions of treatment, showed a significant decrease between pre and post intervention in the treatment group and showed a significant difference between the two groups, where the highest reduction was found in group I compared to group II. This clarifies the role of laser intervention in weight loss [Similarly, in 2015, a study concluded that needle acupuncture for 3–6 months (2 sessions weekly) in combination with a low-caloric diet showed a highly significant decrease in weight, BMI, fat percentage, fat mass, and lipid profile (cholesterol and triglyceride). These findings are compatible with those concluded by our study. On the contrary to our findings, the same study showed no significant difference in HDL and LDL [Traditional medical theory denotes that acupuncture stimulates peripheral nerves at acupoints, which then affects the central nervous system. In contrast to exercise and food alone, which had little influence on this alteration, signals are then transmitted by activated nerves, changing satiety and mood [It has been shown that the application of electroacupuncture at ST-36 and ST-44 could inhibit the hyperactivity of the stomach induced by the increase in the electrical activity stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), leading to the activation of the satiety center indicating that acupuncture has an anticholinergic function, through which β receptors were activated to inhibit appetite and eliminate hunger [Stimulation of the QuChi (LI 11) and Tianshu (St 25) body acupuncture points had a regulatory effect on intestinal motility, whereas the stimulation of Zusanli (St 36) and Neiting (St 44) increases excitability of the satiety center in the ventral medial nucleus of the hypothalamus [Acupuncture also affects the immune system and metabolism in a lipolytic way, according to a review by Cabyoglu et al. The findings indicated that body acupuncture was more successful in reducing waist and hip circumferences than other methods, which indicates that more abdominal adipose tissue was lost, resulting in the creation of fewer inflammatory markers for immune system stimulation [In our study, we used laser over the acupoints which enhanced the effect by biostimulation and was more safe and painless.Laser acupuncture controls obesity producing a therapeutic effect by reducing both BW and BMI and by inducing physiological changes improving quality of life by reducing appetite, improving mood resulting in weight loss maintenance. Furthermore, subjects demonstrate good compliance [