Effect of Inorganic chromium supplementation on glucose tolerance, insulin response, and serum lipids in noninsulin-dependent diabetics

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Abstract
A placebo-controlled double-blind cross-over study was carried out to assess the effect of chromium supplementation (200 µg trivalent chromium daily for 6 wk) on glucose tolerance, insulin response, long-term diabetic control, and serum lipids in 10 noninsulin-dependent diabetics aged 37 to 68 yr. After chromium supplementation 24-h urinary chromium excretion showed a 9-fold increase indicating a positive chromium balance in the subjects. There was no significant difference between chromium supplementation and placebo periods in glucose tolerance and in fasting or 2-h postglucose serum insulin levels but the 1-h postglucose serum insulin level was slightly lower on chromium supplementation than on the placebo (55 ± 9.0 versus 64 ± 11; p < 0.01, paired t test). Serum total cholesterol and triglycerides and their high-density, low-density, and very low-density lipoprotein subfractions showed no change after chromium supplementation as compared to the placebo period.