In a new study, scientists have found that omega-3 fatty
acids found in fish oil may restore nerve damage in patients suffering
from diabetic neuropathy.
Study's lead investigator, Mark Yorek of the VA Medical Cantre in Iowa City said that diabetic neuropathy is a very costly and debilitating complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of foot ulcers and nontrauma-related amputations.
The fish oil is an attractive treatment approach because "supplements are considered very safe and could be easily translated into everyday care. Its easy to take and should have few side effects when combined with other medications, he explained.
Researchers used a mouse model of diabetes to study the effect of fish oil. They found that untreated diabetic mice had diminished sense of touch in their paws that corresponded to fewer nerves in the paw's skin and slower transmission of signals along the nerves. The eyes of untreated diabetic mice also had fewer nerves. Though dietary fish oil and resolving did not lower glucose levels closer to healthy range, they improved nerve health in terms of density and sensory signal transmission. The researchers also observed that resolving stimulated nerve cells to grow.
Though a lot more work needs to be done, including clinical trials with human subjects, the animal studies suggest that fish oil could reverse some of the harmful effects of diabetes on the nerves, Yorek said.
The article is published in the Journal of Neurophysiology.
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