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The
prevalence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and a plethora of
complementary therapies are on offer claiming effectiveness for reducing
body weight. The aim of this systematic review is to critically assess the
evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews
of complementary therapies for reducing body weight. Literature searches
were conducted on Medline, Embase, Amed, and the Cochrane Library until
January 2004. Hand-searches of relevant medical journals and
bibliographies of identified articles were conducted. There were no
restrictions regarding the language of publication. Trial selection,
quality assessment and data abstraction were performed systematically and
independently by two authors. Data from RCTs and systematic reviews, which
based their findings on the results of RCTs, were included. Six systematic
reviews and 25 additional RCTs met our inclusion criteria and were
reviewed. The evidence related to acupuncture, acupressure, dietary
supplements, homeopathy and hypnotherapy. Except for hypnotherapy, Ephedra
sinica and other ephedrine-containing dietary supplements the weight of
the evidence is not convincing enough to suggest effectiveness. For these
interventions, small effects compared with placebo were identified. In
conclusion, our findings suggest that for most complementary therapies,
the weight of the evidence for reducing body is not convincing.
Hypnotherapy, E. sinica and other ephedrine-containing dietary supplements
may lead to small reductions in body weight. However, the intake of E.
sinica and ephedrine is associated with an increased risk of adverse
events. Interventions suggesting positive effects in single RCTs
require independent replication.
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