Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Type 2 diabetics who supplemented with 600 mg of chromium picolinate for four months decreased their fasting and post prandial bold sugar levels by 17.6 and 19.4 % respectively compared to placebo.
In 2011, diabetes cost our healthcare system $245 billion. It currently affects nearly 26 million Americans, with 79 million more having “pre-diabetes”. In addition to having 2 to 4 times greater risk for stroke, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in Americans 20-74 years of age (1).
Now a new study (2) suggests chromium picolinate may benefit diabetes in a number of ways. The study involved 71 patients (25 men, 46 women) aged 45 to 64 with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (according to American Diabetes Association criteria of which the hallmark is having a hemoglobin A1c level 7% or higher (3)). They were given either 600 micrograms per day of chromium picolinate (32 subjects) or a placebo (39 subjects) for four months. The study was a randomized, single-blind study, meaning the researchers knew which groups were receiving the chromium picolinate. Patients received nutritional guidance according to the American Diabetes Association and Institutes of Medicine (4), and continued to take their prescribed medications.
After four months, the following changes were observed:
| Fasting blood sugar (mg/dL) | Postprandial blood sugar (mg/dL) | HbA1c (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Chromium. Picolinate | 17.6% decrease (177 to 146) | 19.4% decrease (263 to 212) | 20% decrease (8.5 to 6.8) |
| Placebo | 11.4% decrease (163.5 to 145) | 14.9% decrease (260 to 221.5) | 9.9% decrease (8.15 to 7.35) |
| p-value | < 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 |
The most promising result was that the average subjects in the chromium picolinate group had their HbA1c levels drop below 7%, indicating their type 2 diabetes to be under much better control.
The researchers do admit that the exact methods for how chromium improves blood sugar control is still unclear, with “the most promising possibility” being the role of chromium in the function of a receptor called GLUT-4. They pointed to research showing GLUT-4 to improve insulin sensitivity (5, 6) by increasing the formation of insulin-like growth factor receptors to replace failing insulin receptors (7).
They concluded that “chromium picolinate has a beneficial effect on glycemic control in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes” and “may be a promising possibility for co-adjuvant therapy in type 2 diabetes.”
Source: Paiva, Ana N., et al. “Beneficial effects of oral chromium picolinate supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical study.” Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology 32 (2015): 66-72.
© 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Posted October 5, 2015.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- “Diabetes Statistics” posted on the American Diabetes Association Website
- Paiva AN. Beneficial effects of oral chromium picolinate supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical study. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2015 Oct;32:66-72. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2015.05.006. Epub 2015 May 28.
- Standards of medical care in diabetes–2011, Diabetes Care, 2011, 34 (Suppl 1), S11–61.
- IOM, Dietary Reference Intakes: Application in Dietary Assesment, National Academic Press, Washington, D.C, 2000
- S. Lewicki, R. Zdanowski, M. Krzyzowska, A. Lewicka, B. Debski, M. Niemcewicz, et al., The role of chromium III in the organism and its possible use in diabetes and obesity treatment, Ann. Agric. Environ. Med. 21 (2014) 331–335
- J.B. Vincent, Chromium celebrating 50 years as an essential element? Dalton Trans. 39 (2010) 3787–3794
- N. Wiernsperger, J. Rapin, Trace elements in glucometabolic disorders: an update, Diabetol. Metab. Syndr. 2 (2010) 1–9
