Diabetes: Do you suffer from diabetic neuropathy?

More than half of all diabetics may never have heard of diabetic neuropathy.

If you happen to be diabetic (either type 1 or type 2), or if you have reason to believe that you may have a pre-diabetic condition, diabetic neuropathy is something you need to be knowledgeable about. And you need this knowledge right now, not later, because this condition can severely impact your health in a number of ways.

Whats worse, according to research commissioned by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), is that many doctors may be missing the diagnosis of neuropathy. And its safe to say that fewer still know about an antioxidant supplement that may be able to address the problem.

Frayed nerve fibres 
In diabetes, glucose levels often fluctuate and run too high. Over time, this creates trace chemicals that cause oxidative stress to nerve cells, degeneration of nerve fibres, and eventually the painful symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, also known as peripheral neuropathy.

What are some of the symptoms to watch for? Numbness in the extremities, prickly or burning pains, tightness of the skin, hypersensitivity to touch, impaired coordination, balance problems, difficulty climbing stairs or difficulty getting up from a sitting position, urinary urgency, erectile dysfunction, acid reflux and light-headedness.

The numbness that typically accompanies neuropathy can be particularly problematic because minor injuries may go unnoticed, turning into health problems that are not minor at all. 

Recognising symptoms 
The ADA research was conducted by a US team lead by Dr Aaron I. Vinik, of the Strelitz Diabetes Research Institute in Virginia. In an interview with Reuters Health, Dr. Vinik said that not only are most diabetics unaware of neuropathy, but three out of four may also have symptoms that go undiagnosed by their doctors.

The Vinik team interviewed more than 8,000 diabetics to assess their knowledge of neuropathy and experience with diagnosis. The results:

 More than 55 percent said they had never heard of neuropathy
 About 70 percent said they had recently experienced symptoms
 Among those who told their doctors about their symptoms, about one out of seven said their doctors had not explained that diabetes might be the trigger

Dr. Viniks recommendation: If you have diabetes and have experienced any symptoms of neuropathy, talk to your doctor right away and ask specific questions about this condition.

Dramatic rescue 
If your doctor believes you may have neuropathy, I hope he/shes also aware of an antioxidant that weve written about many times at HSI: alpha lipoic acid (ALA).

ALA has been shown to help regulate glucose levels by protecting cell membranes and blood lipids against oxidative damage. But research also indicates that it may be useful in addressing neuropathy.

In 2003, Mayo Clinic researchers in the US examined the effects of ALA on 120 patients (with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes) who also had diabetic neuropathy. Subjects were divided into two groups; one group received 600 mg of ALA in intravenous daily doses for 14 days, and the other group received a placebo. Progress was determined by testing nerve conduction, sensation and nervous system function.

As reported in Diabetes Care, the researchers concluded that ALA significantly and rapidly reduced both the severity and frequency of diabetic neuropathy symptoms. Mayo Clinic neurologist, Dr Peter Dyck, added that even at the high dosage level used in the study (not available intravenously in the US) there were no known complications.

M is for the many things...
ALA has been in use since the late 50s (primarily in Germany), and, like other antioxidant nutrients, it may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and other age-related degenerative diseases. But ALA also does something that no other antioxidant is known to do. It has the unique capacity to actually recycle vitamins C and E from their molecular building blocks. This is why ALA is sometimes called the mother antioxidant.

One of the factors to consider when supplementing with ALA is that it is quickly metabolised and cleared from the liver. As a result, a supplement will only cause a relatively brief rise in blood levels of ALA. Several studies have concluded that significant benefits can result from an intake of 50 mg per day. But whatever your dosage, its best to take lower amounts throughout the day, rather than all at once.

And one more note: Research shows that ALA may lower blood-sugar levels in normal, or non-diabetic, subjects as well as in those with diabetes. Our current understanding of how ALA affects blood sugar suggests that it should not be used by those with very low blood sugar, as it could further decrease blood glucose. In any case, you should discuss ALA use with your doctor before adding it to your daily regimen.