Acupuncture for Fatty Liver
Acupuncture can meaningfully support fatty liver recovery. Clinical trials show improvements in liver fat and enzymes, with good safety.
Why consider acupuncture for fatty liver?
If you or someone you love has been told they have fatty liver (NAFLD/MASLD or NASH), you’ve probably heard the usual advice: eat better, move more, drink less. That’s solid. It can be hard to get momentum in your healing even if you get your habist sorted. Harder still when you’re tired, stressed, and your bloods aren’t budging.
Acupuncture fits here. It helps regulate the nervous system, reduces stress, improves sleep, and, importancly can lower liver fat and support healthier blood markers. Think of it as a natural nudge for your metabolism while you continue to work on habits.
What the best studies show
In this 2023 study biopsy-proven Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis individuals received either electroacupuncture (EA) or sham treatment. EA treatment led to larger reductions in liver fat.
“Eelectroacupuncture effectively and safely reduces relative liver fat content in NASH patients.”
Refference
In the latest Systematic review & meta-analysis (2025), across studies, acupuncture improved liver enzymes and metabolic markers.
“Acupuncture has demonstrated safety and efficacy… significantly improving hepatic function, lowering glucose and lipid levels, and mitigating liver fibrosis.”
In Earlier meta-analysis (Medicine, 2021) the findings align with newer work: benefits on ALT/AST and lipids.
“acupuncture or acupuncture plus conventional medicine (CM) was superior to CM in improving overall clinical efficacy, and ALT, AST, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C levels on NAFLD treatment”
This randomised controlled study shows acupunctures benefits for obese NAFLD.
Electroacupuncture combined with lifestyle control can effectively treat obese nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and present better therapeutic effect on hepatic fat status, glycolipid metabolism, insulin resistance, WC and WHR.
Larger, multicentre, sham-controlled trials 1,2 are underway and research quality is rising fast.
Women who had acupuncture reported a significant decrease in hot flashes, excess sweating, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and skin and hair problems.
“Acupuncture a Realistic Option vs HRT for Hot Flashes” Medscape March 2019
What improvements can you reasonably expect?
- Liver fat: Meaningful reductions over as little as 12 weeks have been shown with correctly structured electroacupuncture programmes.
- Liver enzymes (ALT/AST) & lipids: Meta-analyses show consistent downward shifts, especially when combined with lifestyle.
- Insulin sensitivity & waist measures: Improvements reported in trials combining EA with diet/exercise.
Acupuncture isn’t a magic wand, but when used correctly it can help the healthy balance shift.
What a course of care looks like
We individualise the treatment based on your situation, but this can give you a preliminary idea:
In general, we recommend electroacupuncture: 1-3 sessions/week for 12 weeks, then reasess based on your results including: ALT/AST, lipids, HbA1c/fasting glucose, waist, weight and when available, CAP or MRI-PDFF.
Of course, we recomment mediterranean-leaning eating, steady exercise (walking + light resistance), and alcohol minimised.
Is acupuncture safe if you have fatty liver?
In the studies above, acupuncture has proven to be very safe with no serious adverse events.
Ready to get started?
If you’re in Auckland and looking for a calm, evidence-guided plan for fatty liver, we’re here to help. We’ll personalise your acupuncture treatment plan taking into account your body and your wider health goals, and keep it practical: small steps, steady gains. Are you ready to take the first step toward your recovery?