Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. 400 IU a day of vitamin E improved neuropathic pain scores by 4.6% over a control group of diabetic patients with neuropathic pain.
Included in the $245 billion price tag that diabetes incurs on our healthcare system each year (1) is nerve damage in the hands and feet, called diabetic neuropathy, which affects half of all diabetics (2). Diabetic neuropathy can significantly decrease the quality of life of diabetics, so finding ways to help with nerve damage in diabetics remains a priority.
Now a new study (3) suggests that vitamin E may be a benefit to nerve health in diabetics. In the study, 92 patients diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy received either the standard medical care for diabetic neuropathy patients (medications to stabilize blood sugar levels = 46 patients) while those in the vitamin E group received standard medical care plus 400 International Units of vitamin E per day (46 patients) for 12 weeks.
In addition to providing random blood samples to measure for blood sugar, each subject completed questionnaires concerning their physical health (4) and nerve pain. The nerve pain questionnaire scores were then combined with data from a physical examination to give a cumulative neuropathic pain score (5).
After 12 weeks, statistically significant improvement was noted only in the vitamin E group:
Treatment Group Physical Health Score Before Vitamin E Physical Health Score After Vitamin E Change p-value
Vitamin E 59.1 64.6 + 9.3 % p < 0.05
Placebo 53.3 55.8 +4.7% p > 0.05
Treatment Group Random Blood Sugar Before Vitamin E (milligrams/deciliter) Random Blood Sugar After Vitamin E (mg/dL) Change p-value
Vitamin E 161 139 -13.7% p < 0.05
Placebo 149 142 -4.7% p > 0.05
For neuropathic pain scores, significant improvement was only seen in patients older than the age of 50:
Treatment Group Neuropathic Pain Score Before Vitamin E (> 50 years of age) Neuropathic Pain Score After Vitamin E (> 50 years of age) Change p-value
Vitamin E 24.5 16.0 -34.7% p < 0.05
Placebo 26.54 24.5 7.7% p > 0.05
For the researchers, vitamin E is a natural antioxidant and found to be effective in reducing pain score in diabetic neuropathy patients.”
Source: Rajanandh, Muhasaparur Ganesan, Sourabh Kosey, and Giridharan Prathiksha. “Assessment of antioxidant supplementation on the neuropathic pain score and quality of life in diabetic neuropathy patients–A randomized controlled study.” Pharmacological Reports 66.1 (2014): 44-48.
© 2014 Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.
Posted September 8, 2014.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
References:
- “National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014” posted on the CDC website
- “Nerve damage (Neuropathy)” posted on the American Diabetes Association website
- Rajanandh MG. Assessment of antioxidantsupplementation on the neuropathicpainscore and quality of life in diabeticneuropathypatients – a randomizedcontrolledstudy. Pharmacol Rep 2014 Feb;66(1):44-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pharep.2013.08.003. Epub 2014 Jan 30
- “36-Item Short Form Survey from the RAND Medical Outcomes Study” posted on the RAND website
- Rog DJ. Validation and reliability of the Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS) in multiple sclerosis. Clin J Pain. 2007 Jul-Aug;23(6):473-81
