The Association Between Body Constitution and Meridian Energy in Prediabetes

Objective: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories assert that body constitution and meridian energy are the foundations for disease prevention. However, few studies have incorporated TCM concepts into risk factors. This study aimed to examine the association between body constitution and meridian energy in patients with prediabetes.

Methods: The researchers conducted a matched case-control study from January to December 2019 that included 30 adults with prediabetes and 30 healthy controls, matched for age and sex, recruited from the outpatient clinic and health examination center at a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. Body constitution was measured using the Body Constitution Questionnaire, which classifies the constitution as yang-deficiency, ying-deficiency, and phlegm-stasis, while meridian energy was measured using an Aetoscan meridian energy device (Aeto Technology Co. Ltd., Taiwan). The associations between body constitution, meridian energy, and prediabetes were examined using binary logistic regression analyses.

Conclusion: Body constitution may be a risk factor for progression to type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with prediabetes and warrants further study.

Inclusion criteria

• Previously diagnosed prediabetes with a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 5.7-6.4% and a f asting plasma glucose (FPG) of 100-125 mg/dL
• Aged ≥20
• provided informed consent
• The controls were healthy individuals whose FPG level was 100 mg/dL in at least two blood tests in the past 6 months.

Exclusion criteria

• Use of a hypoglycemic agent within the past 3 months
• Self-reported catastrophic illness in the last 6 months
• Pregnant and/or lactating
• Presence of pacemaker.