Update of Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines for Obesity Management: An Evidence‐Based GRADE Approach
8 affiliations
- 1KM Science Research Division Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine Daejeon Republic of Korea
- 2Department of Integrative Medicine Graduate School of JABA, Wonkwang University Iksan Republic of Korea
- 3College of Korean Medicine Daegu Haany University Gyeongsan Gyeongsangbuk‐do Republic of Korea
- 4Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Korean Medicine Dongguk University Goyang Gyeonggi‐do Republic of Korea
- 5Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Korean Medicine Bundang Oriental Hospital of Dongguk University Seongnam Gyeonggi‐do Republic of Korea
- 6Department of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital Seoul Republic of Korea
- 7The Reset Korean Medical Clinic Daegu Republic of Korea
- 8Jayoon Korean Medicine Clinic Seongnam‐si Gyeonggi‐do Republic of Korea
Abstract
Objective: Obesity is a major health challenge associated with multiple chronic diseases. Korean traditional medicine (KM) offers diverse therapeutic approaches for obesity management. This study aims to update the Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines (KMCPGs) by incorporating recent evidence to improve the effectiveness of KM‐based obesity care.
Methods: The KMCPGs were updated through systematic searches of eight databases for studies published up to December 31, 2022. Evidence quality and recommendation strength were evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework.
Results: The updated KMCPGs present 20 clinical recommendations, including 7 for KM monotherapies and 13 for KM combination therapies. The recommendations include herbal medicine (A/high), individualized ephedra‐containing prescriptions (GPP), acupuncture (B/low), auricular acupuncture (C/low), electroacupuncture (B/low), pharmacopuncture (B/moderate), TEA (C/low), and 13 combination therapies ranging from grade B to C or GPP. Most recommendations focus on anthropometric outcomes, including body weight, BMI, WC, and body fat‐related measures.
Conclusions: The update of the KMCPGs underscores the clinical value of KM interventions in obesity management while emphasizing the need for further high‐quality studies to strengthen the evidence. Addressing implementation barriers and ensuring regular guideline updates are essential for optimizing clinical application and improving patient outcomes in obesity care.
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BibTeX
@article{kim2026update,
title = {{Update of Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines for Obesity Management: An Evidence‐Based GRADE Approach}},
author = {Soo‐Dam Kim and Mi Ju Son and Bo‐Young Kim and Mi Mi Ko and Kyung Hwan Jegal and Hojun Kim and Seo‐Hyun Park and Koh‐Woon Kim and Mi Young Song and Junyoung Jo and Hyungsuk Kim and Woo‐Chul Shin and Taeoh Kim and HuiYan Zhao and Changsop Yang and Won‐Seok Chung and Sungha Kim},
journal = {Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/oby.70242},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70242},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Update of Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines for Obesity Management: An Evidence‐Based GRADE Approach
AU - Soo‐Dam Kim
AU - Mi Ju Son
AU - Bo‐Young Kim
AU - Mi Mi Ko
AU - Kyung Hwan Jegal
AU - Hojun Kim
AU - Seo‐Hyun Park
AU - Koh‐Woon Kim
AU - Mi Young Song
AU - Junyoung Jo
AU - Hyungsuk Kim
AU - Woo‐Chul Shin
AU - Taeoh Kim
AU - HuiYan Zhao
AU - Changsop Yang
AU - Won‐Seok Chung
AU - Sungha Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
DO - 10.1002/oby.70242
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70242
AB - Objective: Obesity is a major health challenge associated with multiple chronic diseases. Korean traditional medicine (KM) offers diverse therapeutic approaches for obesity management. This study aims to update the Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines (KMCPGs) by incorporating recent evidence to improve the effectiveness of KM‐based obesity care. Methods: The KMCPGs were updated through systematic searches of eight databases for studies published up to December 31, 2022. Evidence quality and recommendation strength were evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. Results: The updated KMCPGs present 20 clinical recommendations, including 7 for KM monotherapies and 13 for KM combination therapies. The recommendations include herbal medicine (A/high), individualized ephedra‐containing prescriptions (GPP), acupuncture (B/low), auricular acupuncture (C/low), electroacupuncture (B/low), pharmacopuncture (B/moderate), TEA (C/low), and 13 combination therapies ranging from grade B to C or GPP. Most recommendations focus on anthropometric outcomes, including body weight, BMI, WC, and body fat‐related measures. Conclusions: The update of the KMCPGs underscores the clinical value of KM interventions in obesity management while emphasizing the need for further high‐quality studies to strengthen the evidence. Addressing implementation barriers and ensuring regular guideline updates are essential for optimizing clinical application and improving patient outcomes in obesity care.
SN - 1930-7381
SN - 1930-739X
ER -