Acupuncture may relieve childhood appetite loss and reduce recurrence without serious harms, although the supporting evidence is limited in quality.
Researchers systematically searched twelve electronic databases for randomized controlled trials evaluating acupuncture for childhood anorexia, identifying studies that measured improvement in appetite-loss symptoms after treatment. They combined results when studies used comparable interventions or outcome measures, while also assessing study bias and the certainty of the evidence.
Across the included trials, acupuncture used alone or alongside other treatment was associated with improved anorexia symptoms, hemoglobin levels, abdominal fat, and body weight, and with lower recurrence. Nutritional measurements showed inconsistent effects, and no serious acupuncture-related adverse events were reported. However, many studies had unclear risk of bias, leaving overall confidence in the findings low to moderate.
