OBJECTIVETo observe effects of acupuncture and diet on insulin resistance (IR) and to probe the mechanism.

METHODSForty SID rats were equally divided into 5 groups: blank group (group I), model group I (group II), model group II (group III), acupuncture group I (group IV) and acupuncture group II (group V). The groups II, III, N and V were fed with high-fat-sugar-salt forage to made IR model, then the groups I, III and V were fed with normal forage, and the groups II and IV with the high-fat-sugar-salt forage, and the acupuncture groups IV and V received acupuncture treatment. Two weeks later, the fasting blood glucose (FBG), plasma insulin (INS), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), INS antibody and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected.

RESULTSAs compared with group I, FBG and INS increased, ISI decreased in the group II (all P < 0.01); as compared with the group II , FBG and INS decreased (all P < 0.01) and ISI increased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) in the group [II, IV, V; no case with INS antibody (+) in all groups; TNF-alpha in the group II increased compared with that of the group I (P < 0.01), and TNF-alpha in the group III, IV, V decreased compared with that of group II (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture exerts a reversal effect on insulin resistance, and diet can promotes this effect. The mechanism is carried out possibly through decreasing the secretion of TNF-alpha.