Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for sarcopenia in older adults: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Sarcopenia is a prevalent skeletal muscle disorder among older adults that can significantly diminish their quality of life. While acupuncture is gaining traction as a treatment for various skeletal muscle disorders, there is currently insufficient evidence supporting its efficacy specifically for sarcopenia. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture interventions for sarcopenia. A comprehensive search will be conducted across eight databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biology Medicine disc, China Science and Technology Journal Database and Wanfang Database) from their inception until December 31, 2025. Additionally, clinical trial registries and other relevant sources will be searched. All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) related to acupuncture treatment for sarcopenia will be included. Data extraction will encompass study details, design, participant demographics, intervention specifics, outcome measures and reported adverse events. The primary outcomes of interest will be muscle strength, muscle mass and physical performance. The risk of bias will be evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 (RoB 2) tool. The study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be independently carried out by two reviewers. A meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan V.5.4 and STATA V.16.0, while descriptive analyses will be conducted as necessary. The certainty of evidence for the outcomes will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Ethical approval is not required since the data for this study were obtained from public databases. The findings will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal. CRD420251067492.