A diet high in amino acids reduced diabetes-related nerve pain in mice

Eating much of the amino acids serine and glycine decreased the magnitude of nervus harm and symptom successful mice with diabetes

Health 25 January 2023

By Grace Wade

Diabetes tin pb to nervus damage

Shutterstock/kckate16

Dietary supplements of the amino acerb serine whitethorn easiness diabetes-related nerve pain, according to probe successful mice.

Nearly half of radical with diabetes person neuropathy – a information successful which nervus harm causes weakness, symptom and numbness, usually successful the hands and feet.

Christian Metallo astatine the Salk Institute for Biological Studies successful La Jolla, California, and his colleagues measured levels of protein-building molecules called amino acids successful obese mice genetically engineered to person either benignant 1 oregon type 2 diabetes.

They recovered that, compared with mice without either condition, those with diabetes had, connected average, little levels of the amino acids serine and glycine successful their tissues and humor plasma. Further investigation suggested this is due to the fact that insulin is indispensable for preventing the breakdown of those amino acids.

The squad past fed 10 non-diabetic mice a fare without serine oregon glycine for a twelvemonth and 10 non-diabetic mice a modular diet. On average, the mice successful the archetypal radical were slower to retract a paw from a heated laser than those successful the different group, indicating greater nervus damage. When viewed nether a microscope, their paws besides had reduced nervus fibre density, suggesting that serine and glycine deficiencies lend to neuropathy.

A abstracted radical of 17 mice with benignant 2 diabetes ate either a serine-enriched fare oregon a modular fare for 8 weeks, aft which, those successful the serine radical retracted their paw from the laser astir 1 2nd faster, connected average, than those successful the power group.

These findings suggest that expanding serine levels either done dietary supplements oregon targeted drugs could amended the condition, says Metallo. However, radical with diabetic neuropathy shouldn’t unreserved to drawback serine supplements, arsenic much probe is needed to found a harmless dosage and imaginable broadside effects, helium says. The researchers besides looked astatine glycine supplementation successful a abstracted survey but haven’t published the results yet.

The findings besides suggest we whitethorn request to rethink however we presumption definite nutrients. “Serine and glycine are non-essential amino acids, truthful we devour them successful our diet, but we tin besides nutrient them wrong the body,” says Metallo, meaning levels are seldom monitored closely. “But this highlights that the metabolism of non-essential amino acids tin [also] origin defects.”

More connected these topics:

• diabetes
• pain
• nutrition