For Diabetic Feet: Carnitine to the Rescue

While people are more familiar with acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) as a fat burner, two studies suggest the substance may have a much more dramatic role to play: easing diabetic neuropathy, the nerve damage—often in the feet—that can cause pain so intense it’s been known to drive sufferers to suicide.

ALC helps convert fatty acids into energy, and it’s deficient in diabetics. In the two studies combined, 1,300 men and women with either type 1 or 2 diabetes took supplemental ALC for a year. By 26 weeks, those who reported pain as their most serious symptom, and who got the highest doses (1,000 milligrams three times per day), reported significant relief. (The effect only applied to those with type 2 diabetes.)

Europeans have long taken ALC to treat diabetic neuropathy. It’s certainly worth a try, since it’s safe, and there’s no other reliable remedy for this often-excruciating condition.