Antioxidant Treatment

A recent study summarized evidence that antioxidant treatment may be able to combat diabetic neuropathy.

While using a holistic approach may sound appealing, so far no self-treatment methods have been proven to be effective in curing the disease or its effects.

One of main barriers arises from the fact any supplement taken orally has to go through the digestive system to reach its target, such as the nerve cells or feet. Most of the time only a fraction, if any, of the ingested material survives the journey.

That said, some of following compounds have shown promise in research labs.

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) seems the most promising antioxidant in clinical trials. The use of ALA (600 mg/day) has even been licensed to use in Germany for treatment of symptomatic diabetic neuropathy.

Vitamins A, C, and E have been shown to detoxify free radicals directly and interact with recycling processes to create reduced forms of the vitamins that could be used as possible supplemental therapies. However these been around for a long time without conclusive results.

Flavonoids compose the largest and the most important group of polyphenolic compounds in plants and are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots, stems, flowers, tea, and wine. Laboratory studies hinted they possess antioxidant activities that protect the subjects against diabetic neuropathy.

Aminoguanidine, aspirin and benfotiamine are known for their antioxidant properties through the inhibition of AGE (advanced glycated end-products) formation. They limit the interactions which might aggravate oxidative stress damage and relieve some the diabetic neuropathy damage.