

Looking at the results from four meta-analyses, one reported a statistically significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose levels (FPG) and a non-significant trend in lower hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C). Ī 2016 review of meta-analyses concluded that whereas there may be modest decreases in fasting plasma glucose or glycosylated hemoglobin that achieve statistical significance, the changes were rarely large enough to be expected to be relevant to clinical outcome. Approved labeling statements included: ".provides support for healthy glucose metabolism." The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved claims in 2010 that chromium contributed to normal macronutrient metabolism and maintenance of normal blood glucose concentration. FDA concludes, however, that the existence of such a relationship between chromium picolinate and either insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes is highly uncertain." In 2010, chromium(III) picolinate was approved by Health Canada to be used in dietary supplements. Food and Drug Administration approved a Qualified Health Claim for chromium picolinate with a requirement for very specific label wording: "One small study suggests that chromium picolinate may reduce the risk of insulin resistance, and therefore possibly may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. It was these experiments that were performed in the 1950s and 1970s that paved the foundation for future studies on chromium and diabetes. The patient was administered chromium for a total of two weeks, and by the end of this time-period, their ability to metabolize glucose had increased significantly they also now required less insulin ("exogenous insulin requirements decreased from 45 units/day to none"). A patient receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) had developed "severe signs of diabetes", and was administered chromium supplements based on previous studies that proved the effectiveness of this metal in modulating blood glucose levels.

The idea of chromium being used for the treatment of type II diabetes was first sparked in the 1970s. Both the porcine kidney and Brewer's yeast were rich in chromium, and so it was from these findings that began the study of chromium as a regulator of blood glucose. They then included " acid-hydrolyzed porcine kidney and Brewer's yeast" in the diet of these rats, and found that the rats were now able to effectively metabolize glucose.

The experimenters subjected the rats to a chromium deficient diet, and witnessed an inability of the organisms to respond effectively to increased levels of glucose within the blood.
#Chromium for diabetes series
The notion of chromium as a potential regulator of glucose metabolism began in the 1950s when Walter Mertz and his co-workers performed a series of experiments controlling the diet of rats. To better understand the potential role chromium may play in the treatment of type II diabetes, long-term trials need to be conducted for the future. This is because most of the clinical studies that have been conducted around chromium have been administered only for short periods of time on small sample populations, and have in turn yielded variable findings. Today, the use of chromium as a dietary supplement for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 is still controversial. It is believed to interact with the low-molecular weight chromium (LMWCr) binding substance to amplify the action of insulin. More recent reviews have questioned this, however. Chromium is claimed to be an essential element involved in the regulation of blood glucose levels within the body.
