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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Diet, Genomics and Immunology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #98513
Title: FOLLOW-UP SURVEY OF PEOPLE IN CHINA WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS CONSUMINGSUPPLEMENTAL CHROMIUM

Author
item CHENG, NANZHENG - TANG-AN MEDICAL, BEIJING
item ZHU, XIXING - SHANGHAIR HUASHAN HOSP
item SHI, HONGLI - SHANGHAIR HUASHAN HOSP
item WU, WANLING - SHANGHAI #9 HOSPITAL
item CHI, JIAMIN - SHANGHAI #9 HOSPITAL
item YANG, WENYING - BEIJING SINO-JAPAN HOSP
item CHENG, JIANYING - BEIJING HOSPITAL
item Anderson, Richard

Submitted to: Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Chromium is an essential nutrient required for normal sugar and fat metabolism. Dietary intake of chromium is often sub-optimal. This may lead to important human health problems since insufficient dietary chromium is associated with increased risk factors associated with diabetes. We demonstrated previously that chromium improved the diabetes of people with type 2 or maturity- onset diabetes. In this study, we did a follow-up survey of more than 800 people consuming additional chromium and documented that the beneficial effects of chromium observed in smaller studies of shorter duration were confirmed in this study lasting more than 10 months. Our data confirm the safety and beneficial effects of supplemental chromium on people with diabetes. This work is of direct benefit to the scientific and medical communities and may help with patient care for the millions of people in need of control of diabetes.

Technical Abstract: In a recent double-blind placebo-controlled study involving 180 people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, supplemental chromium was shown to improve fasting glucose, postprandial glucose, insulin, hemoglobin A1c and cholesterol. As a follow-up survey, the fasting glucose, postprandial glucose and diabetic symptoms of 833 people with type 2 diabetes mellitus were monitored for up to ten months following Cr supplementation (500 ug/d of chromium as chromium picolinate). Fasting and postprandial glucose improved in more than 90% of the subjects with similar improvements after one to ten months. Mean fasting glucose before consuming additional Cr was 10.0 +/- 0.14 mmol/L (mean +/- SEM) and decreased to 8.0 +/- 0.15 after one month and values remained significantly lower during the ensuing nine months. Values for postprandial glucose decreased from 12.0 +/- 0.21 to 9.9 +/0 0.40 mmol/L in one month and also remained significantly lower in the following nine months. Symptoms of diabetes including fatigue, excessive thirst and urination also improved. Similar effects were observed in female and male subjects. There were no confirmed negative side effects of supplemental Cr. These data confirm the safety and beneficial effects of supplemental Cr and demonstrate that beneficial effects of supplemental Cr observed in a few months are also present after ten months.