The Pain of Diabetes: Peripheral Neuropathy

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6 Diet Tips to Help Manage Diabetes Nerve Pain

Eating right may help protect your nerves from diabetic neuropathy.

By Rebecca Buffum Taylor
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

If you have diabetes, you already know the drill. What you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat can send your blood sugar skyrocketing -- or make it plummet. For better or worse, "diet and diabetes" go together like salt and pepper.

So if you need a little motivation to eat better - and who doesn't? - consider this: with diabetes, you're at high risk of the nerve pain and damage called diabetic neuropathy. What can start as a little tingling or numbness in your feet can turn into major problems with walking, working, and leading an active lifestyle. Diabetic neuropathy can also wreak havoc with your digestion, your sexual response, and make it hard to feel normal body sensations - like the signs of plummeting blood sugar or a heart attack.

Fortunately, a balanced diet that helps treat nerve pain is really no different than the standard diet advised by the American Diabetes Association, says Dace L. Trence, MD, an endocrinologist and director of the Diabetes Care Center at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. "The emphasis is really on blood sugar control," she says. "Certainly, if a dietary change might facilitate that, of course, it would be advisable."

Good glucose control can protect the health of your nerves - and may even help prevent diabetic neuropathy, says the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). You see your doctor only every once in a while, but you eat several times every day. No matter what medications you may be on, your diabetes diet has a constant - and colossal - impact on your health and well-being, with every bite you take.

Tip 1. Eat a Balanced Diet

Why? Remember the good-old food pyramid you learned about back in school? A balanced diet includes a variety of foods: carbohydrates (starches), fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy, meat, poultry, fish, and healthy fats. Eating a balanced diet helps you keep your glucose within target levels, control your weight, and reduce the risk of complications like neuropathy, heart disease, and stroke.

The goal. Step out of any food ruts you're in. Try new foods, and include all of the major food groups in your diabetes diet.

How? The shape of your diet will depend on how active you are, whether you're a man or a woman, and whether you're trying to lose weight. The American Diabetes Association offers these general guidelines, but check with your doctor to fine-tune your specific plan:

Choose a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages among the basic food groups.
Balance calories from foods and beverages with physical activity to manage body weight.
Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains often.
Eat 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables daily (for someone eating 2,000 calories)
Make at least half the grains you eat whole grains.
Decrease saturated fats and trans fatty acids by choosing lean meats and poultry, and low-fat or non-fat dairy products.
Substitute monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils) for saturated and trans fat fats.
Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars or caloric sweeteners.
Eat less than 2,300 mg per day of sodium.
Limit alcohol to no more than 1 drink for women and 2 drinks for men.
Regular physical activity of at least 30 minutes a day for adults and 60 minutes for children.

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Diabetes Nerve Pain

Related Health Centers

Diabetes Nerve Pain: Understand It. Treat It.

Cymbalta is approved for the management of diabetic peripheral nerve pain.

Important Safety Information About Cymbalta

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Patients on antidepressants and their families or caregivers should watch for new or worsening depression symptoms, unusual changes in behavior, thoughts of suicide, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, difficulty sleeping, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, restlessness, or extreme hyperactivity. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have thoughts of suicide or if any of these symptoms are severe or occur suddenly. Be especially observant within the first few months of antidepressant treatment or whenever there is a change in dose.

Who should NOT take Cymbalta?

You should not take Cymbalta if:

You have recently taken a type of antidepressant called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)
You have uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma (increased eye pressure)
You are taking Mellaril® (thioridazine)

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Before starting Cymbalta, talk with your healthcare provider:

about all of your medical conditions, including kidney or liver problems, glaucoma, diabetes, seizures, or if you have bipolar disorder. Cymbalta may worsen a type of glaucoma or the control of blood sugar in some patients with diabetes
about your alcohol use
if you are taking nonprescription or prescription medicines, including those for migraine, to address a possible life-threatening condition
if you are taking NSAID pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners. Use with Cymbalta may increase bleeding risk
if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant during therapy, or are breastfeeding an infant

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if you have high fever, confusion, and stiff muscles to address a possible life-threatening condition
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In clinical studies of depression, the most common side effect of Cymbalta was nausea. Other common side effects included dry mouth, constipation, decreased appetite, fatigue, sleepiness, and increased sweating. This is not a complete list of side effects.