Evaluation of the Efficacy of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Patients With Obesity: a Retrospective Study

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation. It is a complex disease with multifactorial etiology. Although the prevalence of obesity is generally greater in elders and women, obesity rates have increased in all ages and both sexes in recent years. Obesity or overweight also has a higher risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hyperuricemia, gout, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, breast cancer, endometrial cancer and colorectal cancer. The body mass index (BMI), calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters, is widely used to define overweight and obesity in clinical studies. In Taiwan, subjects with BMI between 24 and 27 were diagnosed of overweight, and those with BMI over 27 were diagnosed of obesity.

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) was widely used in the treatment of obesity. The main purpose of CHM treatment is to promote metabolism, suppress appetite and block intestinal digestion and absorption of fat. Since there are various adverse effects of anti-obesity medicines, and there are surgical complications including infection and anastomotic stenosis, patients may seek CHM for losing weight. Many studies have indicated the efficacy of single herb in the treatment of obesity.

Currently, the amount of computerized clinical data is increasing rapidly with the adoption of electronic medical records. The study is expected to collect the medical records, including the data of body weight, related side effects and biochemical data of each individual. By comparing the change of related data before and after CHM treatment, we could evaluate the efficacy of CHM in patients with obesity.