Acupuncture for Diabetes and Metabolic Health: Evidence
What reviews found on acupuncture for blood sugar in type 2 diabetes and for cholesterol, why the evidence is promising but limited, and the infection cautions for people with diabetes.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Read this first
Acupuncture is not a replacement for diabetes medicine, insulin, cholesterol medicine or a care plan. The NHS says lifestyle changes can help lower blood glucose, and that people who need medicine for type 2 diabetes are usually offered a combination of two medicines. [1] It also warns against switching to a very strict low-calorie diet without talking to a health professional first. [1] Do not stop or change prescribed medicine without first talking to your doctor. [2] This page is information only. In an emergency call 911.Evidence at a glance
Labels used: promising but limited, insufficient evidence, proper evidence not found.| Question | What the sources found | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Blood glucose in type 2 diabetes | Two 2025 to 2026 reviews (20 and 21 trials) found lower fasting glucose and HbA1c, with notable heterogeneity [3] [4] | Promising but limited |
| Cholesterol (with a statin) | A 2024 review of 16 Chinese-language studies found better lipid numbers than statin alone, with possible bias [5] | Insufficient evidence |
| Cholesterol without medicine | A review of acupuncture alone was not found | Proper evidence not found |
| Safety in people with diabetes | Case reports of serious infection after acupuncture and after moxibustion burns [6] [7] | Case reports only |
Blood sugar in type 2 diabetes
A 2026 review in the Postgraduate Medical Journal pooled 20 randomized trials with 1,479 people with type 2 diabetes who got acupuncture or non-acupuncture comparisons. It reported lower fasting glucose, HbA1c, glucose two hours after a meal and an insulin-resistance score, but no clear change in insulin level. [3] Its prediction intervals suggest results of future studies could vary. [3]A second review, published in 2025, pooled 21 trials with 2,117 people where acupuncture was used as an adjunct treatment for type 2 diabetes, and found improvements in HbA1c, fasting and two-hour glucose and fasting insulin, but noted significant heterogeneity for individual indicators. [4]
How to read this: the abstracts do not say how many trials used sham needling, and a comparison with "non-acupuncture" cannot separate the needle from attention and expectation. The reviews report average changes, which tell you little about any one person. They do not show that acupuncture prevents diabetes complications such as eye, kidney or nerve damage. For nerve pain see Acupuncture for Neuropathy and Nerve Pain. For lifestyle and prediabetes see Prediabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome.
Cholesterol and blood fats
A 2024 meta-analysis compared acupuncture added to statin therapy with statin alone in dyslipidemia. It included 16 Chinese-language studies with 1,333 people and reported lower triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in the combined group. [5] The authors cautioned that the mechanism of lipid-lowering has not been shown, and that the studies have inherent biases. [5] Because every participant took a statin, it cannot tell us what acupuncture does on its own. We did not find a review of acupuncture used without cholesterol medicine, so for that question proper evidence not found.Frequently asked questions
Can acupuncture lower blood sugar or HbA1c?
In reviews of 20 and 21 trials, acupuncture was linked to lower fasting glucose and HbA1c, but with heterogeneity and mostly non-sham comparisons. [3] [4] It is promising but limited.
Can acupuncture replace metformin, insulin or other diabetes medicine?
No. The NHS describes lifestyle and medicine as the standard approach, and says not to stop prescribed medicine without talking to your doctor. [1] [2]
Does acupuncture lower cholesterol?
In one 2024 review, acupuncture plus a statin lowered cholesterol more than a statin alone, but the studies had inherent biases. [5] We found no review of acupuncture used on its own.
Is acupuncture risky for people with diabetes?
Serious infections have been reported in case reports. [6] [7] NCCIH says poorly delivered acupuncture can cause infections. [8] Talk to your doctor first.
Can acupuncture reverse diabetes?
No review we read shows that. The NHS says lifestyle changes can sometimes lower blood glucose to a normal level and stop diabetes (remission). [1] That NHS page does not mention acupuncture.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Safety for people with diabetes
Two case reports show why people with diabetes should be extra careful, although case reports cannot show how often this happens:
- A 55-year-old woman with diabetes developed life-threatening necrotising fasciitis after acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis. [6]
- A 2026 report described a 61-year-old man with type 2 diabetes and peripheral neuropathy whose moxibustion burns led to a spreading MRSA infection. [7] The authors concluded that even minor burns in poorly controlled diabetes can be an entry point for infection. [7]
The FDA regulates acupuncture needles as medical devices and requires them to be sterile and labeled for single use only. [8] If you have diabetes, tell any practitioner. The authors of the moxibustion report recommend screening for nerve damage before heat therapy and checking the skin afterward. [7] Seek prompt medical care for fever or signs of infection. See Acupuncture Side Effects and Precautions and Moxibustion and Cupping Risks.
References
- NHS. Type 2 diabetes: Treatment. Read 2026-10-22.
- NHS. Herbal medicines and complementary therapies. Read 2026-10-22.
- Li N, et al. Effect of acupuncture for type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Postgrad Med J 2026. Read 2026-10-22.
- Si Y, et al. The effect of acupuncture on blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2025. Read 2026-10-22.
- Liu X, et al. Clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with statin in dyslipidemia: A meta-analysis and system review. Medicine (Baltimore) 2024. Read 2026-10-22.
- Saw A, et al. Necrotising fasciitis: a life-threatening complication of acupuncture in a patient with diabetes mellitus. Singapore Med J 2004. Read 2026-10-22.
- Liang H, et al. Case Report: Moxibustion-induced burns leading to disseminated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2026. Read 2026-10-22.
- NCCIH. Acupuncture: Effectiveness and Safety. Read 2026-10-22.