Traditional acupuncture may match metformin for improving insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome while causing fewer adverse effects.
Researchers systematically searched major medical databases and trial registries for randomized controlled studies comparing traditional acupuncture, metformin, sham acupuncture, placebo, or no treatment in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed study bias, then used a Bayesian network meta-analysis with a random-effects model to compare insulin resistance, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and adverse events across treatments.
Traditional acupuncture and metformin both improved insulin resistance, with no clear difference between them in glucose metabolism outcomes. Acupuncture showed a lower incidence of adverse effects and ranked highly across effectiveness and safety measures, suggesting it could provide a safer alternative to metformin for this population.
