John Myers
Vitamin D deficiency affects around 60 percent of the northern population. As has long been known, a lack of vitamin D supply can intensify or even trigger a wide variety of diseases. According to the latest studies, vitamin D deficiency also has a very negative effect on diabetic polyneuropathy – a nerve disorder in the arms and legs. Now the question is whether the “sun hormone” will play a major role in the prevention and treatment of polyneuropathy in the future and whether it can overtake the usual strong painkillers.
Vitamin D and polyneuropathy
The term polyneuropathy, or PNP for short, is a generic term that includes certain diseases of the peripheral nervous system. The disease usually manifests itself in tingling, numbness, and pain in the arms and legs.
Around 600 causes of polyneuropathy have been described in the specialist literature to date. In Europe, diabetes mellitus (30 percent of those affected) is one of the most common triggers.
Since diabetics who suffer from polyneuropathy usually also have low vitamin D levels, many researchers are investigating the possible connections between PNP and vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency – a risk factor for polyneuropathy
Professor Shehab and his team from Kuwait University examined the vitamin D concentration in 210 patients with type 2 diabetes – with and without polyneuropathy – for 8 weeks.
They found that the vitamin D status in diabetic patients with polyneuropathy was significantly lower than in the study participants without polyneuropathy.
More than 80 percent of the patients diagnosed with polyneuropathy and around 60 percent of the other diabetic patients had a vitamin D deficiency.
In addition, it was found that the administration of vitamin D supplements led to an improvement in the symptoms of neurological disorders.
Based on their study results, the scientists classified vitamin D deficiency as an independent risk factor for diabetic neuropathy.
Professor Shehab is of the opinion that if you have diabetes, it is advisable to take appropriate vitamin D supplements to ward off the development of polyneuropathy.
Case Report: Vitamin D Alleviates Symptoms of Polyneuropathy
Furthermore, David S. H. Bell, a professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, also dealt with the context between PNP and vitamin D in a study.
The case study focused on a 38-year-old patient who had had diabetes for 27 years and had had severe neuropathic symptoms (pain, tingling in hands and feet) for 10 years.
Traditional drugs used to treat neuropathic pain (e.g., gabapentin) were initially effective in reducing PNP symptoms.
But then the pain conditions forced him to give up his work, and even the opioid oxycodone only helped marginally.
Separately, the patient was treated with vitamin D supplementation due to vitamin D deficiency.
And lo and behold: suddenly, within 2 weeks, the neuropathic symptoms improved so noticeably that even the opioid could be stopped.
Professor Bell came to the conclusion that vitamin D supplementation in the case of a proven vitamin D deficiency could have a very positive effect on the course of the disease and that, unlike painkillers, it would not cause any damage.
While it’s still unclear why correcting vitamin D levels improves PNP symptoms, it may, for example, “merely” raise the pain threshold.
However, findings have already been obtained in the laboratory which indicate that vitamin D can in fact have a positive effect on nerve growth factor.
Have your vitamin D levels checked if you have polyneuropathy!
In the case of polyneuropathy – as with any other disease – it is therefore extremely important to have the vitamin D level determined and, if there is a deficiency, to remedy it comprehensively.
Apart from optimizing the vitamin D level, there are of course many other holistic measures that can help with polyneuropathy.
