Acupuncture, Particularly Electroacupuncture at Higher Doses, May Improve Insulin Resistance in Diabetes

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Insulin resistance is a key feature of diabetes mellitus, in which the body’s cells respond poorly to insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. While conventional treatments exist, there is growing interest in whether acupuncture might offer additional benefit for managing this condition.

Researchers conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials to examine whether acupuncture improves insulin resistance in people with diabetes, and whether the type or dose of acupuncture influences outcomes. Sixteen randomised controlled trials involving 1,087 participants were identified from a broad search of major databases up to April 2025. Both pairwise and exploratory network meta-analysis methods were used to pool results across studies.

Compared with usual care, acupuncture produced significant improvements in insulin resistance as measured by the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, fasting blood sugar, and glycated haemoglobin. Against sham acupuncture, acupuncture significantly reduced fasting blood sugar but not glycated haemoglobin. Subgroup analyses suggested that higher-dose acupuncture was more effective for certain outcomes, and the network meta-analysis identified electroacupuncture as the most promising acupuncture modality for improving insulin resistance. Safety data were insufficient across included studies to draw conclusions on adverse effects.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests acupuncture may be a useful add-on therapy for improving insulin resistance in diabetes, with electroacupuncture and higher treatment doses identified as potentially important factors, though evidence quality and safety data remain limited.

Source: Lyu T, Liu D, Li D et al. Journal of integrative and complementary medicine (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 41354554) · doi:10.1177/27683605251397779

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