Diabetes PubMed

The pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy remains unclear, although insulin resistance, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, abnormal glucose metabolism, advanced glycation end products, neurotrophic factors, and protein kinase C activation all may play a role. Strict glycemic control remains the only available treatment option, although other treatments are in development.

Acupuncture may show good effects for diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

These data support a hypothesis that there is a brainstem neuropathy in diabetes mellitus that can be assessed with auditory brainstem response testing even in the group of elderly patients with sensorineural hearing loss.

Since, E. officinalis fruit is already in clinical use for diabetic patients it may be evaluated for preventive therapy in diabetic patients at risk of developing neuropathy.