Title:Insights on Nutrients as Analgesics in Chronic Pain
Volume: 27
Issue: 37
Author(s): Geir Bjørklund*, Salvatore Chirumbolo, Maryam Dadar, Joeri J. Pen, Monica Daniela Doşa*, Lyudmila Pivina, Yulia Semenova and Jan Aaseth
Affiliation:
- Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM), Mo i Rana,Norway
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Ovidius University, Constanta,Romania
Keywords:
Pain, diet, nutritional supplementation, exercises, COX-2, omega-3.
Abstract: Many serious inflammatory disorders and nutrient deficiencies induce chronic pain,
and anti-inflammatory diets have been applied successfully to modify the inflammatory symptoms
causing chronic pain. Numerous scientific data and clinical investigations have demonstrated that
long-term inflammation could lead to an inappropriate or exaggerated sensibility to pain. In addition,
some Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID), which directly act on the many enzymes
involved in pain and inflammation, including cyclooxygenases, are used to dampen the algesic
signal to the central nervous system, reducing the responses of soft C-fibers to pain stimuli. On
the other hand, there are a few reports from both health authorities and physicians, reporting that
decreased transmission of pain signals can be achieved and improved, depending on the patient’s
dietary habit. Many nutrients, as well as a suitable level of exercise (resistance training), are the best
methods for improving the total mitochondrial capacity in muscle cells, which can lead to a reduction
in sensitivity to pain, particularly by lowering the inflammatory signaling to C-fibers. According
to the current literature, it could be proposed that chronic pain results from the changed ratio of
neuropeptides, hormones, and poor nutritional status, often related to an underlying inflammatory
disorder. The current review also evaluates the effective role of nutrition-related interventions on the
severity of chronic pain. This review pointed out that nutritional interventions can have a positive
effect on pain experience through the indirect inhibitory effect on prostaglandin E2 and attenuation
of mitochondrial dysfunction caused by ischemia/reperfusion in skeletal muscle, improving the intracellular
antioxidant defense system. These data highlight the need for more nutrition studies
where chronic pain is the primary outcome, using accurate interventions. To date, no nutritional
recommendation for chronic pain has been officially proposed. Therefore, the goal of this article is
to explore pain management and pain modulation, searching for a mode of nutrition efficient in reducing
pain.
