School of Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.
Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Medicinal and Functional Food, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Aug 1;14:1218880. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1218880. eCollection 2023.
Obesity and diabetes are closely related metabolic disorders that have become major public health concerns worldwide. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have explored the underlying mechanisms of these disorders and identified various risk factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and dietary habits. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been increasingly recognized for its potential to manage obesity and diabetes. Weight loss is difficult to sustain, and several diabetic therapies, such as sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and insulin, might make it harder to lose weight. While lifestyle changes should be the primary approach for people interested in lowering weight, drugs are also worth investigating. Since some of the newer glucose-lowering medications that cause weight loss, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), are additionally utilized or are under consideration for use as anti-obesity drugs, the frontier between glucose-lowering medication and weight loss drugs appears to be shifting. This review provides an overview of the literature on the underlying mechanisms of obesity and diabetes and the prospect of TCM in their management. We discuss the various TCM interventions, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, and dietary therapy, and their effects on metabolic health. We also highlight the potential of TCM in regulating gut microbiota, reducing inflammation, and improving insulin sensitivity. The findings suggest that TCM may provide a promising approach to preventing and managing obesity and diabetes. However, further well-designed studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of TCM interventions and to elucidate their underlying mechanisms of action.
肥胖和糖尿病是密切相关的代谢紊乱疾病，已成为全球主要的公共卫生关注点。在过去几十年中，许多研究已经探讨了这些疾病的潜在机制，并确定了各种风险因素，包括遗传、生活方式和饮食习惯。传统中医（TCM）因其管理肥胖和糖尿病的潜力而受到越来越多的认可。减肥很难维持，一些糖尿病治疗方法，如磺酰脲类、噻唑烷二酮类和胰岛素，可能会使减肥更加困难。虽然生活方式的改变应该是那些有兴趣减肥的人的主要方法，但药物也值得研究。由于一些新的降低血糖的药物，如胰高血糖素样肽-1 受体激动剂（GLP-1 RAs）和钠-葡萄糖共转运蛋白 2 抑制剂（SGLT2i），既能降低血糖又能减肥，因此，降血糖药物和减肥药物之间的界限似乎正在发生变化。本综述提供了肥胖和糖尿病的潜在机制以及 TCM 管理肥胖和糖尿病的前景的文献概述。我们讨论了各种 TCM 干预措施，包括针灸、草药和饮食疗法，以及它们对代谢健康的影响。我们还强调了 TCM 在调节肠道微生物群、减轻炎症和提高胰岛素敏感性方面的潜力。研究结果表明，TCM 可能为预防和管理肥胖和糖尿病提供一种有前途的方法。然而，需要进一步设计良好的研究来确认 TCM 干预的疗效和安全性，并阐明其作用机制。
