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The effects of an anti-inflammatory diet alone or in combination with acupuncture on mental health, anthropometric indices, and metabolic status in diabetic patients with depression: a randomized, controlled clinical trial
This clinical trial by Irandoost et al. (2025) explored whether combining acupuncture with an anti-inflammatory diet offers greater benefits for managing depression in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) than diet alone or standard care. Over eight weeks, 90 patients with T2DM and mild-to-moderate depression were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) acupuncture plus anti-inflammatory diet, (2) anti-inflammatory diet only, or (3) standard treatment. The acupuncture group received therapy twice weekly alongside the diet. By the end of the study, 83 participants had completed the trial. The group receiving both acupuncture and dietary intervention showed about a 20% improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms, along with reductions in waist circumference (4.28%) and HbA1c levels (0.82%). These improvements were statistically significant when compared to the diet-only group, with additional benefits observed in increased HDL cholesterol levels. Overall, the findings suggest that acupuncture, when combined with an anti-inflammatory diet, may provide superior improvements in mental health, blood sugar control, and abdominal obesity in T2DM patients with depression. To confirm these findings, the authors advise carrying out more studies with bigger, more varied populations. [NPID: Type 2 diabetes, depression, acupuncture, anti-inflammatory diet, randomized controlled trial, HbA1c, waist circumference, HDL cholesterol]
Year: 2025
