Neuropathy, or nerve damage, can result from a wide range of conditions such as diabetes and even treatments like chemotherapy.
In fact, neuropathy, which is sometimes referred to as peripheral neuropathy, is not a single health condition but rather a term used to describe a range of health problems involving damage to the peripheral nerves, as well as the symptoms of those issues.
While the group of conditions is irreversible, you can take steps to help prevent neuropathy or manage it through diet, lifestyle, and treatment.
Dementia is not a normal part of aging. It is caused by damage to brain cells that affects their ability to communicate, which can affect thinking, behavior and feelings.
Neuropathy symptoms ultimately depend on the underlying cause and the individual, but they can include, according to the Mayo Clinic and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) :
- Temporary or permanent numbness
- Tingling, prickling, or burning sensation
- Increased sensitivity to touch
- Pain
- Muscle weakness or wasting
- Paralysis
- Dysfunction in organs or glands
- Impairment to urination and sexual function
To understand how neuropathy acts in the body, it’s important to know that the nervous system is divided into two parts. The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) describes them as the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord — and the peripheral nervous system, which transmits messages between the central nervous system and the rest of your body.
In turn, the peripheral nervous system is divided into a voluntary — or somatic — nervous system controlling all of the functions we are aware of and can consciously control, such as moving limbs, and an involuntary — or autonomic — nervous system regulating processes we can’t consciously direct, such as heartbeat, breathing, and digestion.
Damage or disruption to both voluntary and involuntary peripheral nerves can be involved in neuropathy. Sensory and motor nerves can be affected, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The nerve damage behind neuropathy can happen in a variety of ways, affecting the nerve axons (along which impulses are conducted to other cells), myelin sheath (which covers and protects the axon), or a combination of both, according to the IQEHC.
Health Conditions
The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy (FPN) describes the following common causes of neuropathy:
Poorly Managed Diabetes The most common type of neuropathy is diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which affects people managing diabetes with poorly controlled blood sugar and accounts for about 60 percent of the total people with neuropathy.
Idiopathic Neuropathy The second-largest group of neuropathy sufferers are those for which no cause has been identified — 23 percent — and therefore their condition is known as idiopathic peripheral neuropathy.
Cancer Specifically, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy afflicts 10 percent of Americans with neuropathy.
HIV/AIDS About 2 percent of total neuropathy cases are attributed to HIV/AIDs, which can be due to the effects of the human immunodeficiency virus or the drugs used to treat it.
Additional health conditions, including autoimmune diseases, and health events, such as physical trauma, are associated with neuropathy. More on these later.
Dietary Risk Factors
Nutrient deficiencies — whether caused by disease-related malabsorption, alcoholism, or an unbalanced diet — can also lead to neuropathy.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency This is prevalent in 10 to 15 percent of people over age 60, and has been linked to neuropathy, according to an article in the Annual Review of Nutrition. A deficiency of B12 causes damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects nerves, explains the FPN. The nerves won’t function properly without this protection. Sources of vitamin B12 include fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and milk and other dairy products. Getting more B12 in your diet is important if your doctor determines you’re deficient through a blood test, but taking B12 supplements or getting injections is also an option. According to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of the nutrient for most people ages 14 and older is 24 micrograms (mcg), though women who are pregnant or lactating should get 26 mcg and 28 mcg, respectively.
Taking Glucophage (metformin), which people with type 2 diabetes commonly use to control their blood sugar, may increase your risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, per the ODS. If you are taking the medication, be sure to inform your physician so he or she can look out for a possible deficiency and recommend supplementation or dietary advice. (12)
Copper Deficiency This nutrient deficiency is another, though rarer, cause of neuropathy, says Norman Latov, MD, PhD, a neurologist at Weill Cornell Medical Center, and the director of the peripheral neuropathy clinical and research center at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Beef, nuts, and legumes offer dietary copper, according to a prior study in the Journal of Nutrition. However, Dr. Latov says the deficiency is usually a result of an individual’s metabolism or malabsorption, rather than an unbalanced diet. Injectable and oral supplements can help treat the condition, according to a literature review in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
Excess Nutrient Consumption Getting too much of a nutrient can also lead to neuropathy as well, Latov cautions. For instance, “too much B6 can be toxic to the nerves. The normal requirement is less than 2 milligrams a day, yet many B6 supplements are 100 milligrams or more. B6 is also an additive to all sorts of packaged foods,” Latov says. “Susceptibility [to absorbing the nutrient] varies, so if you take B6 supplements, you really should have your blood levels checked to make sure they’re not in excess.” A peer-reviewed article in StatPearls contains more information about toxicity.
Exposure to Toxins in Food Toxins contained in foods we tend to think of as healthy, such as seafood, can also lead to neuropathy, he adds. “In our center we see people with very high levels of mercury, which can cause neuropathy.” The Environmental Protection Agency reports that fish can contain mercury, and recommends that young children and women who are 16 to 49 years old, pregnant, or breastfeeding limit their servings to two to three a week.
Arsenic, another heavy metal, can also cause neuropathy if ingested in high amounts. Usually, this results from exposure via drinking water that has been exposed to industrial waste. Arsenic can be found in brown and white rice in trace amounts, but not at levels high enough to cause nerve damage. An previous article provides greater detail on the nerve damage that both mercury and arsenic can cause.
“Brown rice can have high arsenic levels, and that can cause neuropathy too,” Latov says.
