Efficacy and Safety of the Combination of Superoxide Dismutase, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin B12, and Carnitine for 12 Months in Patients with Diabetic Neuropathy

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12).

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 85 patients were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

In this prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 85 patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DMT2) were randomly assigned, either to receive the combination of four elements (active group, n = 43), or placebo (n = 42) for 12 months.

The researchers used the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument Questionnaire and Examination (MNSIQ and MNSIE), measured the vibration perception threshold (BIO), and Cardiovascular Autonomic Reflex Tests (CARTs).

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Blinding on both sides kept the patients and researchers unaware of who received Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12).

Some patients received a placebo instead of Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12), giving a reference point.

A time span of 12 months appears in the methods.

Nerve function was assessed by DPN Check [sural nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) and amplitude (SNAP)].

Pain (PS) and quality of life (QL) questionnaires were administered.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Carnitine, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Diabetic Neuropathies, Drug Combinations, Neural Conduction, Pain Measurement and Quality of Life.

Author keywords: neurometrix and peripheral neuropathy.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) in 85 patients over 12 months.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 3 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2020 (Nutrients), a journal based in Switzerland.

More context: the Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) compound page, all human trials.