Nutriceutical Supplementation for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Diabetes drugs are among the most widely prescribed pharmaceuticals on the market today. Current medications seek to reduce the buildup of excess blood glucose, as well as provide symptomatic relief of diabetic complications. In the past several years, we have seen a rise in the number of type 2 diabetics suffering from diabetic complications; namely, diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). DPN is one of the most prevalent and painful complications of diabetes. Characteristics of DPN include: loss of position sense and balance control, numbness or tingling, stabbing or shock-like pain, and loss of temperature differentiation of the distal extremities. Currently, the gold standard of treatment for DPN is pharmaceutical relief of pain. The major downfall to these pharmaceuticals is that they only treat the symptoms, not the cause of DPN. If one were to consider the etiology of DPN, the idea of nutriceutical treatment for DPN would make more sense. Clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of nutriceuticals in the prevention, symptomatic relief and reversal of DPN. The use of nutriceutical supplements such as R-lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine and benfotiamine have proven to be effective while maintaining low-toxicity and few side effects. A review of the latest research demonstrating this effectiveness will be given, as well as accepted dosages and resources for purchasing the purest and most bioavailable supplements.