Abstract
- Background
Impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and metabolic syndrome significantly increase the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Chromium picolinate has been proposed to enhance insulin signaling and improve glycemic regulation. This study evaluated the effects of daily chromium picolinate supplementation on serum measures of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in patients at high risk for type 2 diabetes.
- Methods
We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, modified crossover clinical trial. Adult participants with impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or metabolic syndrome were enrolled and assigned to 6-month intervention sequences of chromium picolinate or placebo at dosages of either $500\text{ }\mu\text{g}$ or $1000\text{ }\mu\text{g}$ daily, followed by a 6-month post-intervention assessment. Primary outcome measures included changes in fasting plasma glucose, 2-hour plasma glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test ($\text{OGTT}$), fasting and 2-hour insulin, and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance ($\text{HOMA-IR}$). Secondary outcomes included anthropometric measures, blood pressure, endothelial function, glycated hemoglobin ($\text{HbA1c}$), serum lipids, and urinary microalbumin.
- Results
Fifty-nine participants were enrolled. After 6 months of daily chromium picolinate supplementation at either dosage level ($500\text{ }\mu\text{g/day}$ or $1000\text{ }\mu\text{g/day}$), no statistically significant changes were observed in plasma glucose levels, insulin concentrations, or $\text{HOMA-IR}$ scores compared with placebo (all $p > 0.05$). Additionally, none of the secondary outcome measures demonstrated significant improvement with either chromium dosage relative to placebo ($p > 0.05$).
- Conclusions
Chromium picolinate supplementation does not appear to ameliorate insulin resistance or impaired glucose metabolism in individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes and is therefore unlikely to attenuate diabetes risk.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3118091/