In the animal model of diabetic neuropathy, Coenzyme Q10 helps prevent nerve damage. Patients on cholesterol lower statins end up with no coenzyme Q10 in their system
To prevent diabetic neuropathy, the most obvious maneuver would be to maintain good diabetic control, though this works better for type I insulin dependent DM than for type II pill based DM. Alpha-lipoic acid has been shown to improve diabetic neuropathy and by extension should help prevent the neuropathy as well:
Rev Diabet Stud. 2009 Winter; 6(4): 230–236.
Alpha-Lipoic Acid and Diabetic Neuropathy
Natalia Vallianou, Angelos Evangelopoulos, and Pavlos Koutalas free article here
In that article they suggest 600 mg/day orally had best risk-benefit (nausea at 1200).
Another herbal, L-Acetyl-carnitine is thought to be beneficial as well:
Ann Pharmacother. 2008 Nov;42(11):1686-91.
Role of acetyl-L-carnitine in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Evans JD, Jacobs TF, Evans EW. abstract here
They suggest at least 2 gm/day of L- acetyl carnitine.
Now it looks like Conezyme Q10 might be of some benefit as well, though human studies have not been done:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Dec 24. [Epub ahead of print]
Coenzyme Q10 prevents peripheral neuropathy and attenuates neuron loss in the db-/db- mouse, a type 2 diabetes model.
Shi TJ, Zhang MD, Zeberg H, Nilsson J, Grünler J, Liu SX, Xiang Q, Persson J, Fried KJ, Catrina SB, Watanabe M, Arhem P, Brismar K, Hökfelt TG. abstract here
free full text
OK this is a busy pic – what I get is that it reduced damage by 25% overall, and about 50% for medium fiber size (however, not so much for small fiber where most of the damage in DMN is). My feeling is that ALA is more known to help and I would use it; but Coenzyme q10 levels drop quickly when one is on a cholesterol lowering statin so may need to be maintained by 60 mg Q10/day at least. These measures are not cheap…
Any opinions?
PS – I have started a Wiki on treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy Here:(down right now)
http://wiki.painmuse.org/index.php/Diabetic_Neuropathy
I could use help with setting it up – anybody that wishes to help let me know at admin@painmuse.org
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