Chromium and Insulin Action

April 7, 2016 updated by: William Cefalu, MD, Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Effect of Chromium Picolinate on Metabolic and Physiologic Parameters in Type 2 Diabetes

The effect of Chromium to improve glucose levels in diabetes is controversial. The hypothesis of the study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing the diet of individuals with Type 2 diabetes with chromium picolinate and assessing the effect on blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The primary clinical strategy to improve metabolic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes consists of lifestyle modification combined with pharmacologic intervention. However, alternative strategies, e.g. nutritional supplementation with over-the-counter agents, are extensively practiced by a large number of patients and are frequently undertaken without first informing the medical provider. Unfortunately, considerable controversy exists regarding use of dietary supplements in subjects with diabetes because efficacy data for many of the supplements consists of only uncontrolled studies and anecdotal reports. As such, there is a paucity of data in humans in regard to the effect of most commercially available supplements to improve metabolic abnormalities.

One supplement that has attracted considerable clinical interest is chromium (Cr). However, routine use of Cr in subjects with diabetes is not currently recommended. In part, the controversy surrounding Cr supplementation stems from the lack of definitive randomized trials, the lack of "gold standard" techniques to assess glucose metabolism in the studies reported, the use of differing doses and formulation , and the study of heterogeneous study populations (4). As such, conflicting data has been reported that has contributed greatly to the confusion among healthcare providers concerning Cr supplementation. In order to provide a comprehensive clinical evaluation of Cr, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in subjects with Type 2 diabetes, and over a 10 month period of observation, used established techniques to assess changes in insulin sensitivity, body composition and glycemic control.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

30

Phase

  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Vermont
      • Burlington, Vermont, United States, 05410
        • University of Vermont

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

25 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Type 2 diabetes on diet therapy or low dose oral agent -

Exclusion Criteria:

Significant cardiovascular, hepatic or renal disease

-

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Insulin Senstivity, glycated hemoglobin

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
weight, body composition

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: William Cefalu, MD, University of Vermont and Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

August 1, 1998

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2003

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 26, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 26, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

January 30, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 8, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 7, 2016

Last Verified

April 1, 2016

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Type 2 Diabetes

Clinical Trials on Chromium Picolinate

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