Complementary and alternative therapies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A Bayesian network meta-analysis protocol

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a global pandemic, and its incidence is increasing year by year. At present, there are no definite curative drugs for the treatment of NAFLD in modern medicine. Surprisingly, complementary and alternative therapies play an important role and have special advantages. In this study, we will adopt Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) to evaluate the efficiency and safety of complementary therapy and alternative therapies for NAFLD. Methods We will collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to the treatment of NAFLD in PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and other databases. Two reviewers will screen the literature and extract data in line with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then assess the risk of bias according to Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. The Bayesian NMA will be performed by Stata16.0 and WinBUGS1.4.3. Results Our study will compare and rank the efficacy and safety of diverse complementary and alternative therapies for NAFLD. Conclusion This study can provide credible evidence for the efficacy and safety of complementary therapies and alternative therapies in the treatment of NAFLD. We expect to assist clinicians and patients to choose the optimal therapeutic regimen. Protocol registration number INPLASY2020120136.