Eficácia das intervenções nutricionais no tratamento da neuropatia diabética periférica: uma revisão integrativa

Abstract

Objective: To review scientific evidence in the literature on the possible actions of nutritional intervention used in the treatment of patients affected by Peripheral Diabetic Neuropathy (PDN). Method: This is an integrative review conducted in six stages, from February to April 2023 (last 10 years), in English and Portuguese languages, obtained from the databases PubMed, SciELO, LILACS, and ScienceDirect. Cross-referencing of descriptors in Portuguese and English was performed for the search terms "neuropathy diabética", "treatment", " nutritional supplements" and "nutrition" using the boolean operators "and" and "or". Results: From a total of 169 articles found, a final sample of 9 articles was included in the review for data extraction. The results of the studies pointed to a fundamental category: the efficacy of different nutritional supplementation strategies to improve neuropathy symptoms. Final considerations: All studies emphasized the importance of appropriate treatment, primarily targeting the underlying cause of the pathology, in this case, diabetes mellitus, in order to prevent the onset of this nerve dysfunction and/or assist in its treatment. Nutritional therapies aim to decrease the consequences of the pathology, promote a better quality of life for patients, and reduce the symptomatology of the disease.