Diabetic neuropathy: Diet high in amino acids reduces pain in mice

High intake of the amino acids serine and glycine reduced nerve damage and pain in diabetic mice

To Grace Wade

Studies in mice show that dietary supplements of the amino acid serine may alleviate diabetes-related neuralgia.

Almost half of people with diabetes have neuropathy. This is a condition in which nerve damage causes weakness, pain, and numbness, usually in the limbs.

Christian Metallo and his colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biology in La Jolla, California, measured levels of protein-building molecules called amino acids in obese mice that were genetically engineered to have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

They found that diabetic mice had, on average, lower levels of the amino acids serine and glycine in tissues and plasma compared to mice with neither condition. It has been suggested that this is because insulin is required to prevent the breakdown of amino acids.

The team then fed 10 nondiabetic mice a diet without serine or glycine for a year, and 10 nondiabetic mice on a standard diet. On average, mice in the first group were slower to withdraw their paws from the heated laser than mice in the other groups, indicating greater nerve damage. When viewed microscopically, their feet also had reduced nerve fiber density, suggesting that a deficiency of serine and glycine contributes to neuropathy.

Another group of 17 mice with type 2 diabetes ate either a serine-enriched diet or a standard diet for 8 weeks. control group.

These findings suggest that increasing serine levels, either through dietary supplements or targeted drugs, may improve the condition. More research is needed to establish side effects, so people with diabetic neuropathy should not rush to get serine supplements. We have considered it, but the results have not yet been published.

The findings also suggest that we may need to rethink our view of certain nutrients. You can do it,” says Metallo. That said, levels are seldom closely monitored.”However, this highlights that non-essential amino acids can be metabolized.” [also] Doing so may cause malfunction. “