Evidence mapPaperPMID 42597035Full record

ArticlePregnancy (Hoboken, N.J.)2026

Low-frequency electroacupuncture attenuates insulin resistance in a rat model of diet-induced maternal obesity.

David J Carr, Elizabeth Kelley, Morgan Sekhon, Megan Kawasaki, Keara McElroy-Yaggy, R Chris Skinner, Paul D Taylor, Anna L David, Elisabet Stener-Victorin, Thomas L Jetton

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pregnancy (Hoboken, N.J.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

David J CarrDivision of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5421-5395
Elizabeth KelleyRobert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4861-4754
Morgan SekhonDivision of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7662-0699
Megan KawasakiRobert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3625-5489
Keara McElroy-YaggyDivision of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA.
R Chris SkinnerDepartment of Nutrition and Food Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1777-7644
Paul D TaylorDepartment of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences Kings College London London UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4740-4307
Anna L DavidDepartment of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, UCL Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health University College London London UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0199-6140
Elisabet Stener-VictorinDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3424-1502
Thomas L JettonDivision of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine University of Vermont Burlington Vermont USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2558-5810

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Maternal obesity is highly prevalent worldwide, conferring elevated risks of maternal/fetal complications and adult-onset disease in offspring. Obesity and pregnancy are both states of insulin resistance. Percutaneous electrical stimulation of skeletal muscle, better known as electroacupuncture (EA), mitigates insulin resistance in polycystic ovarian syndrome and diabetes, but its efficacy in pregnancy is unknown. We aimed to determine if EA can attenuate insulin resistance in pregnant Wistar rats with high-fat, high-sucrose (HFS) diet-induced obesity. Methods: Nineteen HFS-exposed dams receiving 12-14 sessions of EA of rectus abdominis, tibialis anterior, soleus and gastrocnemius (3/15 Hz frequency, 10 mA intensity, 30 min) under isoflurane anesthesia (HFS+EA group) were compared with 19 untreated HFS-exposed dams receiving control anesthesia (HFS group) and 10 nonobese, nonpregnant controls (Ctrl group). On embryonic day (E)19 ± 1, insulin sensitivity was measured as the steady-state glucose infusion rate (GIR) during a gold-standard hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Body composition, fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin, serum corticosterone, blood pressure, pancreatic ß-cell mass and hepatic malonaldehyde/triglyceride content were determined. Results: Compared to the Ctrl group, the HFS group exhibited a decreased GIR (mean ± SEM = 13.3 ± 1.33 vs. 18.2 ± 1.37 mg/kg/min, Conclusion: EA attenuated insulin resistance in this rat model of maternal obesity. The effects of EA on fetoplacental growth and litter size require further investigation, especially given the latter observation could signal a potential safety issue.

Indexed as

electroacupuncturehyperinsulinemic‐euglycemic clampinsulin resistancemalonaldehydematernal obesityplacental efficiencyß‐cell mass

Identifiers

PMID42597035
PMCPMC13344270

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.