Folic acid prevents diabetic neuropathy.

What is it about?

Folic acid is a B-vitamin required for DNA synthesis, and folate deficiency causes several pathologies, including birth defects and neuropathy. This study revealed a shared genetic etiology between folic acid–responsive neural tube defects and the development of peripheral neuropathy in mice . Furthermore, we demonstrate that high-dose dietary folic acid prevents neuropathy in mice, indicating that the diabetic state increases folic acid dietary needs.

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Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

Why is it important?

These results indicate a special nutritional requirement for folic acid in diabetes to prevent peripheral neuropathy and implicate impaired de novo thymidylate synthesis in peripheral neuropathy.