According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 21 million Americans have diabetes and over 95 percent of diabetics have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is known to increase the risk for other serious diseases including diabetic neuropathy, a painful condition of the nerves. Now research reports that alpha-lipoic acid, a potent antioxidant, helps improve symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, published in Diabetes Care, investigated the effects of ALA on symptoms in diabetic patients with diabetic neuropathy. Researchers at various institutions in Dusseldorf, Germany administered either 600, 1200, or 1800 milligrams of alpha-lipoic acid or a placebo daily to 181 diabetics with neuropathy, for five weeks. All of the participants initially received a placebo for one week. Tests measuring neuropathy symptoms including stabbing pain, burning pain, paresthesia, and asleep numbness of the feet, were obtained from the participants during the study.
The researchers found that all three ALA groups had a significant decrease in neuroopathy symptoms (including stabbing pain and burning pain), as compared to the placebo group. The ALA groups showed improvement in symptoms within one to two weeks of treatment.
"Oral treatment with ALA for 5 weeks improved neuropathic symptoms and deficits in patients with DSP (distal symmetric polyneuropathy)," the study authors conclude. "An oral dose of 600 mg once daily appears to provide the optimum risk-to-benefit ratio."
REFERENCES:
1. Ziegler D et al. Oral treatment with alpha-lipoic acid improves symptomatic diabetic polyneuropathy: the SYDNEY 2 trial. Diabetes Care 2006 Nov;29(11):2365-70.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on March 13, 2007 03:51 PM
