In an open-label randomized controlled clinical trial with an active comparator, an 8 weeks of treatment with oral vitamin D supplementation plus standard therapy substantially ameliorated pain, improved mood, and elevated vitamin D levels in people suffering from diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Pinzon RT et al. undertook this study to investigate the benefits of add-on therapy of vitamin D in combination with standard treatment for diabetic neuropathy.
The enrolled volunteers (n=68) were segregated into two groups: (i) Experimental group (n=34): Given oral 5000 IU vitamin D once daily and standard treatment (amitriptyline, gabapentin, or pregabalin) for 8 weeks, (ii) Control group (n=34): Given standard treatment alone. Alteration in visual analog scale (VAS) score, numerical rating scale (NRS) score, and brief pain inventory were the outcomes ascertained. The levels of vitamin D were estimated prior to and after the trial.

Collection and assessment of data of the participants were done. Following 8 weeks of therapy, the experimental group exhibited a substantial decline of mean VAS and better improvement in mood compared to the control group. At week 8, the experimental group revealed considerably reduced mean burning pain scores when compared to the control group.

At week 8, the experimental arm exhibited remarkable improvements in vitamin D levels, with a greater alteration from the baseline to week 8 in comparison with the control arm, as shown in Table 1:

In the experimental arm, a negative correlation was noted between VAS score and vitamin D levels (r = − 0.403). No adverse effects were reported. Thus, vitamin D supplements exhibit promising therapeutic benefits for the management of diabetic neuropathy.