Background and Aims: The combination of the nutritional
agents chromium picolinate and biotin (CrP+B) have been previously shown
to provide beneficial effects in controlling blood glucose and cholesterol
levels in well-controlled animal and human studies. The combination
may work by increasing insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle cells.
The purpose of this study was to test if CrP+B could reduce elevated
HbA1c levels, in a real-life uncontrolled environment, in people with
type 2 diabetes mellitus who had previously failed to adequately respond
to antihyperglycemic medications.
Materials and Methods: Thirty subjects with type 2
diabetes were enrolled in this 12-week open-label study. These subjects
had glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels >7%, despite taking oral
antihyperglycemic drugs for at least the past 6 months. Each day, subjects
received a combination of chromium (600 mcg) and biotin (300 mcg), in
addition to continuing to take stable doses of their prescription oral
medications. HbA1c levels were measured prior to and after the 12-week
study.
Results: The mean HbA1c level prior to the study was
8.5% (SD ± 1.6).
Concomitant oral antihyperglycemic drugs included biguanides and sulfonylureas,
with most subjects taking combination therapy. After 12 weeks of taking
the combination of chromium (as chromium picolinate) and biotin, HbA1c
levels were significantly reduced by 1.1% (P<0.01). Subjects with
an HbA1c >8% (n=18) had a greater response (-1.8%, P<0.001), with
a reduction in mean HbA1c levels from 9.3% (SD ± 1.7) to 7.5%
(SD ± 1.2). The extent of reduction in HbA1c levels was correlated
with baseline HbA1c levels, with the greatest improvements seen in those
subjects with the highest baseline HbA1c levels (P<0.0001). There
were no reports of hypoglycemia.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggests that
people with type 2 diabetes mellitus can significantly improve their
blood sugar control by taking a combination of chromium picolinate and
biotin. The improvement in blood sugar control was an
additional improvement above that obtained with oral antihyperglycemic
medications.
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