Chromium of no help for poorly controlled diabetes

	Tweet

Contrary to expectations, high-dose chromium supplementation does not improve blood-sugar control or other parameters in obese patients with poorly controlled, insulin-treated type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

“Chromium treatment has been reported to improve glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in specific populations of patients with type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Nanne Kleefstra, of Isala Clinics, Zwolle, the Netherlands, and colleagues write.

They examined the effect of chromium treatment in a 6-month blinded study of obese insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes patients within a Western population. Participants had elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a common measure of blood sugar, and insulin requirements of greater than 50 units/day.

They were randomly assigned to receive placebo or 500 or 1000 micrograms of chromium daily.

A total of 53 patients were initially randomized. Of these, 46 completed the study. Overall, 17 received placebo, 14 received 500 micrograms chromium, and 15 received 1000 micrograms chromium.

According to the team, chromium did not produce any greater reductions in HbA1c than placebo. The decrease in HbA1c was similar across the three study groups.

A weak association was found between an increasing serum chromium concentration and improvement in the lipid profile.

“Further independent (larger-designed) studies may be necessary to further investigate the possible effects of chromium supplementation on glycemic control or lipid profile in Western populations,” Kleefstra and colleagues explain. “Whether it is possible to select subgroups of patients ... that may or may not benefit from chromium therapy also needs further attention.”

SOURCE: Diabetes Care March, 2006.

RELATED STORIES:
Phone contact with nurses linked with better outcomes for women with gestational diabetes   Death rate drops among Americans with diabetes -CDC   Correct treatment of common diabetic foot infections can reduce amputations   “Pre-diabetes,” diabetes rising among U.S. teens   Experimental bariatric surgery controls blood sugar in rats with diabetes   53 millions Americans might develop diabetes by 2025   New inflammation hormone link may pave way to study new drugs for type 2 diabetes   Diabetic retinopathy research could reduce screening costs   Liver fat gets a wake-up call that maintains blood sugar levels   Low testosterone levels could raise diabetes risk for men   Prosthetic lets diabetic get a foot up on life   Dealing with Diabetes, One Patient at a Time

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]