Alternative Health News
Chromium Does Not Improve Glycemic Control in
Type 2 Diabetes
Medscape
By Will Boggs, MD
May 21, 2007
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) May 21 - Chromium treatment does not appear to
improve glycemic control in Western patients with type 2 diabetes, according to
a report in the May issue of Diabetes Care.
"In non-Western diabetic populations, there is some evidence that chromium
might be beneficial," Dr. Nanno Kleefstra, from Isala Clinics, Zwolle in the
Netherlands told Reuters Health. "In Western populations until now it does not
seem to help in the dosages used."
Dr. Kleefstra and colleagues investigated the effects of chromium yeast on
glycemic control, insulin resistance, and factors associated with the metabolic
syndrome in type 2 diabetes patients residing in a northern region of the
Netherlands. Fifty-seven patients were randomized to receive 400 micrograms of
chromium per day or placebo.
After 3 and 6 months of treatment, there were no differences between the
chromium group and the control group for fasting plasma glucose level, A1c,
blood pressure, body fat percentage, weight, lipid profile, and insulin
resistance, the authors report.
Two patients, one in the intervention group and one in the control group,
experienced gastrointestinal symptoms, the report indicates.
"Especially in Western patients, chromium is not beneficial for improving
glycemic control," Dr. Kleefstra concluded.
However, many patients use chromium as OTC supplements, so physicians should
be aware of a theoretical blood glucose-lowering effect that may result in
hypoglycemia in patients on sulfonylureas or insulin, he cautioned.
"I think it is essential to get a tool with which we can detect whether
patients are chromium-deficient or not," Dr. Kleefstra added. "It would be
interesting to study a deficient population."
Diabetes Care 2007;30:1092-1096.
