NCT07770893Not yet recruiting
Acupoint Catgut Embedding With Laser Acupuncture for Weight Loss in Adults With Obesity
Acupoint Embedding Combined With Laser Acupuncture for Obesity: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham Laser-Controlled Trial Evaluating Anthropometric, Biochemical, and Hemodynamic Outcomes
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 18 Aug 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Acupoint catgut embedding and laser acupuncture have each been studied as treatments for obesity in adults, but the two have not been evaluated in combination, and few trials have measured anthropometric, biochemical, and blood pressure outcomes together. This single-center randomized sham-controlled trial plans to enroll 120 adults aged 20 to 65 years with obesity. All participants receive the same acupoint catgut embedding with poliglecaprone 25 absorbable suture at 15 acupoints, comprising 25 insertions, once every 2 weeks for 6 sessions over 12 weeks. Participants are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive, immediately before each embedding session, either active 810 nm laser acupuncture or sham laser acupuncture delivered with a device that is identical in appearance, indicator light, and operating sound but emits no therapeutic energy. Both groups also receive standardized dietary and exercise counseling. Because the acupoint embedding regimen is identical in both groups and the groups differ only in whether the laser emits energy, the comparison estimates the incremental effect of laser acupuncture added to acupoint embedding. Participants are treated for 12 weeks and then followed for a further 12 weeks, to Week 24.
- Status (registry)
- Not yet recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 120 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 12 Aug 2026
- Start date
- 1 Sept 2026
- Primary completion date
- 30 Sept 2028
- Lead sponsor
- Taipei City Hospital
- Diseases
- Obesity
- NCT number
- NCT07770893
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 120
- From 1 Sept 2026 to the primary completion date, 30 Sept 2028
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Current use of medication that may affect body weight, including corticosteroids, antipsychotics, insulin, or glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists
- Bariatric surgery within the previous 6 months
Other illness
- Known secondary cause of obesity, such as hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome, or pituitary disease
- Known allergy to absorbable suture material
- Skin infection at the embedding sites, keloid tendency, or coagulation disorder
- Implanted cardiac pacemaker or other electromagnetic implant
- Known photosensitivity disorder or current use of photosensitizing medication
Lab values
- Severe cardiovascular, hepatic, or renal disease, or poorly controlled diabetes defined as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) above 9 percent
Other
- Currently pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy within 6 months
Who the study is looking for
- Age 20 to 65 years
- Body mass index of 27 kg/m\^2 or greater, or body mass index of 24 kg/m\^2 or greater together with a waist circumference of 90 cm or greater in men or 80 cm or greater in women
- Able to fully understand the informed consent document and willing to give written informed consent
- No use of weight-loss medication and no other weight-reduction treatment in the 3 months before enrollment
- Willing to follow the dietary and exercise advice given during the trial
Age in the registry: 20 years to 65 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei City Hospital, RENAI Branch Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Taipei | Taiwan | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.