idiopathic neuropathy and sugar, not a diabetic

@tdemaria Another patient here was talking about sugar increasing his pain and neuropathy and he had gout. When I looked that up, a lot of foods including sugar triggers that type of inflammation. You can do an elimination diet and figure out what foods are your triggers. Here is some information on gout. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gout/symptoms-causes/syc-20372897
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/gout-diet/art-20048524

I have found that sugar increased my pain, so now I am sugar free. Gluten increases pain as well. I detoxed from sugar, gluten and dairy and feel so much better. Pain decreased substantially.

I was diagnosed with PN in 2018. Lately I've noted increased pins-needles-burning feeling in the soles of my feet after eating anything with sugar and so have cut back on sugar. I told my neurologist about my new found sugar connection and he was unsure why I would experience these symptoms with sugar intake since I'm are not a diabetic. Anyway, will continue sugar control and see how things go.

@bryanbay
I like your kitty🙀
I eat loads of sugar and it has no effect on my seizures or Neuropathy which is contrary to a lot of the propaganda going around.
I don't understand what the sugar connection is unless it's associated with Diabetes. Sounds like you have a good common sense Neuro.
Take care,
Jake

I have my issues with sugar also along with alcohol. I try to avoid both as much as possible but I do sometimes get those urges 🙂 I don't think you have to be a diabetic for sugar to damage nerves. I'm not a diabetic either but have been diagnosed with idiopathic small fiber PN but I only have the numbness and a little tingling.

"“High blood sugar is toxic to your nerves,” says pain management specialist Robert Bolash, MD. “When a nerve is damaged and misfiring, you may ..." --- How to Avoid Diabetic Neuropathy - Cleveland Clinic Health: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/high-blood-sugar-toxic-nerves-heres-avoid/

I've also been looking into the relationship between neuropathy and the metabolic syndrome which is another condition I've learned fits me. It seems to pull a lot of the symptoms and conditions together. If you are interested, here are a few links I've found.

The Metabolic Syndrome and Neuropathy: Therapeutic Challenges and Opportunities: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3881591/

Metabolic syndrome as a risk factor for neurological disorders
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21997383/

Glucose spikes and food sensitivities are unique to each individual. Doctors do not have much, if any, training in routine medical school about nutrition, foods and how they effect autoimmune illnesses. A nurse assigned to me related the story of her sister who had autoimmune and thyroid cancer. After having her thyroid removed a naturopath doctor helped her discover her food sensitivities. Once she avoided those foods, she no longer had issues.
A lot of people who start following a whole food plant based, low-fat diet with no sugar, caffeine, processed foods begin to have less pain and feel better. That is what I’ve done. The other day I deviated from protocol and the pain level returned.
There are a lot of articles and YouTube videos on the effects of sugar on autoimmune disease. The issue is the fructose portion (sugar is 50% glucose + 50% fructose). Look into it.

I also have more tingles if I "overload" on sugar. I am also not a diabetic or classified as insulin resistant. I have upped my fiber and watched my sugar. I still stretch and exercise. Having my brand new oven not working has helped this immensely (no baking,) I waited six months for the oven. Thanks covid.

Actually, "sugar" is a generic term describing lots of different compounds, among which are glucose and fructose. Fructose is fruit sugar, which is metabolized in the liver. The sugar in the blood is glucose, which is directly absorbed by the GI system. Glucose levels are controlled by insulin. In a non-diabetic, any spikes in blood sugar should be quickly controlled by insulin.

BTW, I should have said that fructose is a combination of sucrose and glucose. The sucrose part is metabolized in the liver. The glucose goes directly into the blood from the gut.

Dr. Robert Lustig has great youtube videos explaining why sugar is so heavily entrenched in the standard American diet and the health problems it causes. I’ll put a link to one of his updated videos below. I’m also pasting an online definition of sugar which aligns with what Dr. Lustig said on his videos about the composition of table sugar, its 50% glucose and 50% fructose. We need glucose and our body will create it if we don’t get it. Fructose is the issue for our health and he gives an in depth, thorough explanation.

“Sucrose, commonly known as “table sugar” or “cane sugar”, is a carbohydrate formed from the combination of glucose and fructose. Glucose is the simple carbohydrate formed as a result of photosynthesis. Fructose is nearly identical, except for the location of a double-bonded oxygen. They are both six-carbon molecules, but fructose has a slightly different configuration. When the two combine, they become sucrose.”