Resveratrol Can Alleviate Neuropathy Pain in Diabetics

Nerve damage (neuropathy) caused by diabetes is due to oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory conditions related to excess blood glucose.¹³⁷ Resveratrol’s powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have been shown to help relieve the pain associated with neuropathy, and may even be able to reverse some of the nerve damage.^21-22

Although fairly common, risk factors include genetic predisposition, smoking, alcohol abuse, and immune system dysfunction. There are four types of diabetic neuropathy, which can cause an array of symptoms:¹³⁸

• Peripheral. Pain, numbness, tingling or burning feelings in the extremities, most commonly the legs and feet; muscle weakness; ulcers and other serious foot problems.
• Autonomic. Digestive, urinary, and cardiovascular problems related to damaged nerve fibers; erectile dysfunction; sexual difficulties in women; inability to regulate heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, or adjust eyes to light conditions.
• Radiculoplexus. Affects nerves close to hips, shoulders, and abdomen rather than nerve ends; weakened thigh muscles; severe pain in hips, thighs, and buttocks; abdominal swelling; difficulty standing up from sitting.
• Mononeuropathy. Sudden severe pain from damage to one nerve; Bell’s palsy; Carpal tunnel syndrome; pain in localized area behind one eye, shin, foot, thigh, or abdomen.

Neuropathy can be disabling and even fatal for some diabetics.¹³⁸ In animal studies, resveratrol effectively decreased expression of various inflammatory proteins (i.e., COX-2 and TNF-α) that have been linked to diabetic neuropathy.¹³⁷ Other studies confirm that resveratrol alleviated diabetic neuropathic pain, including that stimulated by heat or cold.²¹

In combination with another inhibitor , resveratrol also helped repair blood flow and nerve function in diabetic rats. The resveratrol combination also significantly reversed some of the damaging changes due to accumulation of PARP, a protein known to play an important role in the development of diabetic neuropathy.^22,139