How High Blood Sugar Damages Nerve Cells — and How DHA and ALA Fatty Acids May Help

This laboratory study looked at how high glucose levels affect nerve and Schwann cells, as well as nerve tissue in diabetic mice. Researchers found that elevated glucose disrupted sphingolipid metabolism (a type of fat molecule important for cell signaling and membrane structure), leading to increased levels of ceramides and related compounds linked to cell stress and apoptosis (programmed cell death).

High glucose exposure also reduced the expression of genes responsible for making myelin (the protective coating around nerves) and neurotrophic factors (proteins that support nerve growth and repair), while increasing markers of inflammation and cell death. These changes mirror the kind of nerve damage seen in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

When researchers added DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) and ALA (alpha-lipoic acid, an antioxidant) to the glucose-exposed cells and diabetic mice, many of these harmful changes were reversed — including improved myelin and neurotrophic gene expression and reduced inflammatory and apoptotic signaling.