/*English: Sarcopenia*/

====== Sarcopenia ======

====== Sarcopénie ======



===== Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis=====

==== Generic Acupuncture  ====

=== Niu 2025 ===

Niu X, Zhang D, Gao T, Zhang Y, Zhang D, Li D, Zeng P. The potential of acupuncture in treating sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Public Health. 2025 Nov 10;13:1696030. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1696030

^Background|The global population is aging at an unprecedented rate leading to a sharp rise in late-life diseases such as sarcopenia. Despite its increasing prevalence effective pharmacological treatments exercise regimens and dietary recommendations for sarcopenia remain limited. Acupuncture has demonstrated potential in improving quality of life for individuals with sarcopenia. However whether acupuncture is effective for treating sarcopenia remains unclear.|
^Objective|To assess the therapeutic effectiveness of acupuncture in treating sarcopenia.|
^Methods|A comprehensive search was conducted across nine major English and Chinese electronic databases covering all available studies up to May 2024. Sarcopenia outcomes were compared between patients receiving acupuncture and those who did not. Literature was organized using EndNote 21; data analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 and STATA 18.0. Of 1106 records identified 10 randomized controlled trials were included.|
^Results|Compared to conventional treatment acupuncture significantly improved total treatment efficiency (RR = 1.40 95% CI: 1.13-1.73) muscle mass (SMD = 1.31 95% CI: 0.19-2.43) grip strength (SMD = 0.66 95% CI: 0.49-0.83) and usual gait speed (SMD = 2.53 95% CI: 0.78-4.28). Acupuncture also reduced C-reactive protein levels (SMD = -0.99 95% CI: -1.42--0.56). Acupuncture-based therapies showed therapeutic potential on muscle mass and some physical functions in sarcopenic patients and may be particularly valuable for frail older adults unable to tolerate conventional treatments.|
^Conclusion|Acupuncture appears to improve key sarcopenia-related outcomes though current evidence is limited by the small number and quality of RCTs. Further multicenter high-quality trials with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings and to clarify acupuncture's role in sarcopenia management.|