This content material initially appeared on On a regular basis Well being. Republished with permission.
By Sheryl Huggins Salomon
Medically Reviewed by Jason Paul Chua, MD, PhD
Your nerves want the best steadiness of vitamins to perform correctly, and they’re additionally susceptible to toxins. What you eat and drink, in addition to how your physique absorbs the vitamins from what you eat, can contribute to or exacerbate neuropathy, often known as peripheral nerve harm.
In case your physician assesses you for neuropathy, you’ll doubtless obtain blood and urine exams for associated circumstances, comparable to sort 2 diabetes and celiac illness, and be screened for nutrient deficiencies, excesses, and toxicities. (1,2)
Relying on the outcomes, your physician will information you on how you can regulate what you eat and should refer you to a registered dietitian (RD) or a registered dietitian-nutritionist (RDN).
Listed below are six common dietary ideas to remember to assist defend the well being of your nerves.
1. Management Your Blood Sugar to Keep away from Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetes, a illness characterised by blood glucose (sugar) ranges which are too excessive (referred to as hyperglycemia), is the commonest reason for neuropathy.
Individuals with diabetic neuropathy ought to eat to keep up the blood glucose ranges their docs suggest, which incorporates limiting sweets, drinks with added sugar, and huge parts of meals which are excessive in starches or carbohydrates. As an alternative, go for a weight-reduction plan that leans towards portion-controlled high-fiber or complete grains, greens, fruits, low- or nonfat dairy, and lean proteins like boneless, skinless rooster breast, fish, and turkey. These measures could not reverse current nerve harm, however they are going to assist you keep away from additional hurt. When you’ve got diabetes however no neuropathic signs, you possibly can management your blood sugar to maintain nerve harm from growing within the first place. (3,4,5)
2. Get Sufficient Vitamin B12 and Different Vitamins
Whether or not you wish to stop neuropathy or cease its progress, it’s key to ensure your physique is receiving the vitamins it wants.
Vitamin B12 deficiency particularly, which is prevalent in 10 to fifteen p.c of individuals over age 60, has been linked to neuropathy. The deficiency causes harm to the myelin sheaths that encompass and defend nerves. Your nerves received’t perform correctly with out this safety.
Meals sources of vitamin B12 embrace fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and milk and different forms of dairy. Your physician or dietitian may suggest oral or injectable dietary supplements of vitamin B12.
The advisable day by day allowance (RDA) of the nutrient for most individuals age 14 and older is 24 micrograms (mcg), although girls who’re pregnant or lactating ought to goal to absorb 26 mcg and 28 mcg, respectively.
Power use of the sort 2 diabetes drug Glucophage (metformin) is linked to vitamin B12 deficiency, so in case you are taking the treatment, make sure you work along with your physician to observe your ranges of the nutrient. Matthew Villani, a health care provider of podiatric drugs at Central Florida Bone & Joint Institute in Orange Metropolis, Florida, says he typically prescribes the multivitamin Metanx, which incorporates B12, B6, and folate (B9), to his sufferers with diabetic neuropathy. (6,7,8,9,10)
Norman Latov, MD, PhD, a neurologist at Weill Cornell Drugs in New York Metropolis, says copper deficiency is one other doable reason for neuropathy, although these instances are usually uncommon. “Some individuals, due to their metabolism or absorption, are copper poor, which might additionally trigger neuropathy or myelopathy, which means spinal wire illness.” Beef, nuts, and legumes are sources of dietary copper, however Latov says people who find themselves poor typically can’t right that by weight-reduction plan alone. The situation may be handled with injectable and oral dietary supplements. (11,12)
3. Watch Your Consumption of Vitamin B6
An excessive amount of of a nutrient can even result in neuropathy, Dr. Latov cautions. Vitamin B6 is especially problematic, as a result of in extra it may be poisonous to the nerves. (13)
The RDA of vitamin B6 is 2 milligrams (mg) per day, Latov says, however many B6 dietary supplements comprise 100 mg or extra. Doses higher than 200 mg could trigger neuropathy, in addition to fatigue, issues with motion and respiratory, and vomiting. These signs look like reversible after use is stopped.
“B6 is an additive to all kinds of packaged meals,” Latov says. “Susceptibility [to absorbing the nutrient] varies, so in the event you take B6 dietary supplements, you actually ought to have your blood ranges checked to ensure they’re not in extra.”
4. Keep away from Mercury and Different Toxins in Your Meals That Are Linked to Neuropathy
Toxins in meals can harm your nerves, so shut consideration to what’s in your meals can profit your complete household.
Even seemingly wholesome meals can comprise contaminants that will play a job within the improvement of neuropathy, Latov says. “Some individuals eat numerous seafood of their weight-reduction plan, however [seafood] can comprise numerous mercury,” he says.
The natural supply of mercury he’s speaking about, referred to as methylmercury, is current in most individuals at low ranges as a result of it contaminates practically all fish and seafood. Nonetheless, most individuals have blood mercury ranges under these related to doable opposed well being results comparable to neuropathy. (14)
Consuming giant portions of fish can improve an individual’s publicity to mercury. At sufficiently excessive ranges, methylmercury poisoning is linked to lack of peripheral imaginative and prescient; “pins and needles” emotions, normally within the arms, ft, and across the mouth; lack of coordination of actions; impairment of speech, listening to, and strolling; and muscle weak point.
Mercury publicity will increase the danger of neurological harm in growing fetuses and younger youngsters. The US Environmental Safety Company (EPA) and Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest that youngsters ages 1 to 11, in addition to people who find themselves breastfeeding, pregnant, or who could turn into pregnant, keep away from consuming giant fish, together with king mackerel, swordfish, shark, orange roughy, marlin, and bigeye tuna. Bigger fish which have lived longer typically have larger mercury ranges as a result of they’ve had extra time to build up it of their our bodies.
The businesses additionally suggest that those that are breastfeeding, pregnant, or could turn into pregnant have two to a few servings of fish per week from the “greatest decisions” record, which incorporates canned mild tuna, cod, clams, crab, lobster, salmon, shrimp, sole, tilapia, and trout, amongst others, or one serving from the “good decisions” record, which incorporates Chilean sea bass, grouper, halibut, mahimahi, albacore, and yellowfin tuna, amongst others. Youngsters ages 1 to 11 ought to have two servings per week from the “greatest decisions” record (1 ounce [oz] at age 1 to three; 2 oz at age 4 to 7; 3 oz at age 8 to 10; and 4 oz at age 11). You may be taught extra about secure fish choices on the FDA’s web site. (15)
Arsenic can be a priority. “Brown rice can have excessive arsenic ranges, and that may trigger neuropathy, too,” says Latov. Most rice, whether or not brown or white, has some stage of arsenic in it, however as a result of arsenic tends to build up within the outer layers of rice, the brown selection has larger ranges. Shopper Stories has a information to arsenic ranges in several forms of rice. (16)
Lengthy-term publicity to inorganic arsenic has been linked to pores and skin problems and elevated dangers for pores and skin, bladder, and lung cancers, in accordance with the FDA. Quick-term publicity to very excessive quantities of inorganic arsenic can result in nausea, vomiting, bruising, and numbness or burning sensations within the arms and ft. Inorganic arsenic publicity in utero and in very younger youngsters is related to impaired mental improvement. (17)
In 2016, the FDA proposed a restrict or “motion stage” of 100 components per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in toddler rice cereal. This matches the extent set by the European Fee (EC) for rice used for the manufacturing of meals for infants and younger youngsters. (The EC customary issues the rice itself; the FDA’s proposal units a draft stage for inorganic arsenic in toddler rice cereal.) FDA testing discovered that the majority toddler rice cereal presently in the marketplace both meets, or is near, the proposed motion stage. (18)
5. Restrict or Keep away from Alcohol to Assist Forestall or Cease the Progress of Neuropathy
Heavy alcohol use can lead to malabsorption of the vitamins wanted for wholesome nerves, comparable to vitamin B12, in addition to direct poisoning of nerves. Signs of alcohol-related neuropathy embrace nerve ache, tingling, burning, muscle weak point and cramps, erectile dysfunction, and warmth intolerance. In case you are already experiencing these signs and your physician determines they’re alcohol-related, the very best plan of action to assist handle your signs is to cease ingesting alcohol. (19,20)
6. Perceive Your Relationship to Gluten if Celiac Illness Brought on Your Nerve Harm
Celiac illness is a danger issue for neuropathy, so that you’ll wish to be screened for the autoimmune situation in the event you aren’t certain of the trigger behind your signs. That’s as a result of weight-reduction plan is the first administration and remedy device for celiac. Particularly, individuals with this situation should keep away from the protein gluten, which is present in sure forms of bread and even make-up merchandise.
Celiac includes harm to the small gut attributable to excessive intolerance to gluten, and it can lead to malabsorption of important vitamins that then result in nerve harm. Moreover, gluten sensitivity, which is much much less extreme, can be linked to neuropathic signs, so that you’ll wish to ensure you’re screened for this situation if you wish to resolve what’s inflicting neuropathy in your case.
At Loma Linda College Well being in Loma Linda, California, exams for celiac illness are a part of the neuropathy screening course of, says Bryan Tsao, MD, the chair of neurology at Loma Linda. Blood testing and a biopsy of the liner of the small gut may be included in celiac illness screening. Past that, “We typically encourage sufferers to strive a gluten-free weight-reduction plan,” Dr. Tsao says, even when they’re not gluten illiberal, with the concept it could assist and received’t harm. “We normally encourage sufferers to strive that for a number of months earlier than giving up on it” if signs don’t enhance. (21,22,23)
Trusted Sources
The Basis for Peripheral Neuropathy
Nationwide Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Ailments
Nationwide Institutes of Well being Workplace of Dietary Dietary supplements
