Combined acupuncture and herb treatment improves intestinal flora inabdominally obese subjects based on 16s rRNA sequencing: a randomized controlled trial.

Combined needle-herb therapy significantly reduced waist circumference in abdominally obese subjects.

• The study was a 12-week randomized controlled trial with four groups: double placebo (A2/Control), press needle + placebo herb (A1/Needle), herbal medicine + placebo needle (A3/Herb), and press needle + herbal medicine (A4/Combination).
• Weight, waist circumference, and body mass index were measured monthly.
• The reduction in waist circumference in the combination group was statistically significant (P < 0.05).
• After 12 weeks of treatment, groups were relabeled B1-B4 for post-treatment analysis.

The combination needle-herb group showed significant changes in gut microbiota alpha diversity as measured by Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indices.

• Gut microbiota was analyzed via 16S rRNA sequencing for diversity and abundance.
• Significant changes in all three diversity metrics (Chao1, Shannon, Simpson) were observed in the combination group (P < 0.05).
• All four treatment groups altered gut microbiota composition.
• Single-therapy groups did not demonstrate the same breadth of diversity changes as the combination group.

Needle therapy specifically increased Bacteroidia abundance.

• This finding was statistically significant (P < 0.05).
• The effect was observed in the press needle + placebo herb group (A1/Needle).
• Bacteroidia is a class within the phylum Bacteroidota.

Herbal medicine (Huatan Lishi Fang) reduced the abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Megamonas.

• This finding was statistically significant (P < 0.05).
• The effect was observed in the herbal medicine + placebo needle group (A3/Herb).
• Lachnospiraceae is a family within Firmicutes and Megamonas is a genus, both proposed as potential promoters of obesity based on these findings.

Combined needle-herb treatment modulated 25 key gut flora across multiple taxonomic levels and reduced both Firmicutes and Bacteroidota.

• The combination group specifically altered Bacteroidaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroidia, and Megamonas.
• The 25 key flora were identified across multiple taxonomic levels (phylum, class, family, genus).
• Both Firmicutes and Bacteroidota phyla were reduced by the combination treatment.
• All results were significant (P < 0.05).

Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota, and Prevotellaceae were identified as potentially obesity-suppressing taxa, while Proteobacteria, Lachnospiraceae, and Megamonas were identified as potentially obesity-promoting taxa.

• These associations were inferred from the directional changes in microbial abundance observed across treatment groups.
• Prevotellaceae is a family within Bacteroidota.
• Lachnospiraceae belongs to Firmicutes and Megamonas is a genus within Veillonellaceae.
• These classifications were based on the pattern of microbial changes observed in conjunction with anthropometric outcomes.