Effects of Auricular Acupressure Versus Intermittent Dietary Restriction in Children With Gastric Heat and Dampness Obstruction

NCT ID: NCT05847478

Last Updated: 2024-12-17

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

240 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-06-07

Study Completion Date

2025-12-31

Brief Summary

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This is a three-month randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of auricular acupressure versus Intermittent carbohydrate restriction on cardiometabolic risk in obese children with gastric heat and dampness obstruction.

Detailed Description

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Obesity in childhood is associated with multiple cardiometabolic risk factors including hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension, which predicts increased risk for developing obesity-driven complications in adulthood. Auricular acupuncture therapy is an intervention with purported success for the treatment of obesity. However, traditional intervention rarely has long-term success in children and adolescents. Low-carbohydrate diets have also been shown to reduce body weight and improve insulin sensitivity in children.

This is a three-month randomized controlled trial in children with gastric damp-heat obstruction, in order to explore the effects of traditional Chinese medicine auricular acupressure and intermittent carbohydrate restriction on cardiovascular metabolic health.

Conditions

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Obesity, Childhood

Keywords

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Auricular acupressure Intermittent dietary restriction Gastric Heat and Dampness Obstruction

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Auricular acupressure therapy group (AAT)

The participants will be randomly assigned to receive the auricular point patch therapy. The intervention period is 3 months.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Auricular acupressure of traditional Chinese Medicine

Intervention Type OTHER

The participants will be randomly assigned to receive the auricular point patch therapy.

The selected acupoints include Shenmen, hungry point, endocrine, stomach, mouth and subcortical. The opaque patch with vaccaria seed is used for acupoint pressing. Pressing the acupoints once a day before and after eating, each time for 1 minute, lasting for 2-3 days, follow up visit once a week. The intervention period is 3 months.

Health education

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Health education is conducted once a week during 3-month intervention for all participants. Health education including the understanding of childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease, how to determine the cardiometabolic risk level, and the lifestyle intervention as caloric restriction and increased physical activity to promote health.

Intermittent low carbohydrate diet group (ILCD)

The participants will be randomly assigned to receive the intermittent low carbohydrate diet. The duration of the study is 3 months, including 1-month intervention period and 2-month self maintenance period.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Intermittent low carbohydrate diet

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The participants will be randomly assigned to the intermittent low carbohydrate diet group.

The intermittent carbohydrate diet includes 7 days of low carbohydrate diet within 2 weeks (consecutive or nonconsecutive, carbohydrate intake be controlled as ≤ 50g per day). The study duration is 3 months, including 1-month intervention period and 2-month self-maintenance period.

Health education

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Health education is conducted once a week during 3-month intervention for all participants. Health education including the understanding of childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease, how to determine the cardiometabolic risk level, and the lifestyle intervention as caloric restriction and increased physical activity to promote health.

Interventions

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Auricular acupressure of traditional Chinese Medicine

The participants will be randomly assigned to receive the auricular point patch therapy.

The selected acupoints include Shenmen, hungry point, endocrine, stomach, mouth and subcortical. The opaque patch with vaccaria seed is used for acupoint pressing. Pressing the acupoints once a day before and after eating, each time for 1 minute, lasting for 2-3 days, follow up visit once a week. The intervention period is 3 months.

Intervention Type OTHER

Intermittent low carbohydrate diet

The participants will be randomly assigned to the intermittent low carbohydrate diet group.

The intermittent carbohydrate diet includes 7 days of low carbohydrate diet within 2 weeks (consecutive or nonconsecutive, carbohydrate intake be controlled as ≤ 50g per day). The study duration is 3 months, including 1-month intervention period and 2-month self-maintenance period.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Health education

Health education is conducted once a week during 3-month intervention for all participants. Health education including the understanding of childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease, how to determine the cardiometabolic risk level, and the lifestyle intervention as caloric restriction and increased physical activity to promote health.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Have at least one of the following cardiometabolic risk factors: overweight or obesity, prediabetes, dyslipidemia or elevated blood pressure.
* Traditional Chinese medical syndrome type is gastric heat and dampness obstruction syndrome.

Exclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of obesity associated with genetic or endocrine diseases, including hypercortisolism, polycystic ovary syndrome, primary hypothyroidism and hypothalamic obesity.
* Participating in other clinical trials or have participated in other clinical trials in recent 3 months.
* Diagnosis of organic diseases, including heart, liver, kidney and brain or infectious diseases and mental diseases.
Minimum Eligible Age

6 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Children's Hospital of Fudan University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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Children's Hospital of Fudan University

Shanghai, , China

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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China

Central Contacts

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Weili Yan

Role: CONTACT

Phone: +86 02164931215

Email: [email protected]

Wen Sun

Role: CONTACT

Phone: +86 13818844692

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Wen Sun

Role: primary

References

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Sun W, He J, Wang W, Lu C, Lin Y, Dou Y, Yan W, Yu J. Auricular Acupressure Versus an Intermittent Low-Carbohydrate Diet in Children With Overweight or Obesity With Gastric-Heat and Dampness-Obstruction Syndrome: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Mar 3;14:e59856. doi: 10.2196/59856.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 40053799 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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AP_IDR_2.0

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id