The vitamin-like substance acetyl-L-carnitine appears to help ease the pain caused by diabetic neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes that results in painful damage to nerves. Researchers from Italian L-carnitine manufacturer Sigma-Tau and Wayne State University in Detroit evaluated data from two randomized placebo-controlled trials carried out over a year on more than 1,200 diabetic patients in the US, Canada, and Europe. The studies included tests on both 500mg and 1,000 mg doses of acetyl-L-carnitine daily. Writing in the January issue of Diabetes Care (28:89-94), the researchers report that pain, ‘the most bothersome symptom’ of the condition, was significantly improved in one study and in the combined cohort taking the 1,000 mg dose.
