Vitamin D and mindfulness for painful diabetic neuropathy Original paper

Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is a common complication among patients with diabetes and is characterized by tingling, numbness, burning, or stabbing pain in the feet or hands. Vitamin D can have neuroprotective effects, and mindfulness techniques have shown promising results for pain reduction and quality of life.

This 12-week randomized controlled trial assessed the synergistic effect of vitamin D supplementation and mindfulness on neuropathic pain severity, pain-related disability, and neuropathy-specific quality of life among patients with PDN. The investigators randomly allocated 225 patients with PDN and vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency (10−30 ng/mL of 25-hydroxyvitamin D) to one of five groups:

• Mindfulness training and placebo
• Placebo
• Mindfulness
• Vitamin D
• Mindfulness and vitamin D

The participants allocated to the mindfulness groups completed one 90-minute session per week, and those allocate to the vitamin D groups consumed 4,000 IU per day for 12 weeks.

Before and after the study, the investigators assessed pain-related disability, neuropathy-specific quality of life, and neuropathic pain severity using questionnaires. In addition, they assessed blood markers, sun exposure time, vitamin D intake, BMI, and physical activity.

At the end of the study, all groups except for the placebo group achieved improvements in all three outcomes, with the mindfulness + vitamin D group achieving the greatest improvements.