BACKGROUND: Blood lipid levels have been reported as novel biomarkers for chronic subjective tinnitus (CST), with their levels being higher in patients with CST. OBJECTIVES: This trial aimed to determine the change in lipid profile and tinnitus-related quality of life (TR-QoL) responses to 8 week acupuncture treatment in patients with CST. METHODS: Sixty obese patients with CST were randomly assigned to group A (treatment group; n = 30; mean age 44.10 +/- 3.69 years) or group B (sham group; n = 30; mean age 45.53 +/- 3.62 years). Patients in group A (n = 30) received manual stimulation at the TE3, TE5, TE17, TE18, TE19, TE20, TE21, TE22, GB2, GB8, GB20, LI4, LI11, KI3, SP6, ST36, CV4, CV9, and CV12 acupoints through in-site acupuncture needles thrice weekly. Furthermore, the bilateral abdominal ST25 and GB28 acupoints were electrically stimulated through in-site acupuncture needles. Group B (n = 30) received the same acupuncture protocol as group A but the insertion of needles was a sham insertion. Anthropometrics such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), TRQoL (assessed via tinnitus handicap inventory), blood lipid levels such as high-density lipoprotein (HDLs), low-density lipoprotein (LDLs), cholesterol (C), and triglycerides (TGs), and the visual analogue scale (VAS) score for tinnitus severity, were assessed prospectively. RESULTS: Only group A showed significant within-group improvements. Except for HDLs, BMI, and WC, unpaired between-group comparisons showed significantly greater improvements in other outcome measures of all patients with tinnitus (TR-QoL, LDLs, TGs, C, and VAS) in group A than in group B. CONCLUSION: Safe acupuncture treatment not only improves anthropometrics and TRQoL, but also helps resolve hyperlipidemia and reduces the severity of tinnitus in obese patients with CST.

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