Chromium and Cinnamon

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Chromium and Cinnamon
2
Sun, 12-16-2007 - 1:41pm

I have a question about supplementing with chromium and cinnamon: how much of each and how often?


Thank you.

Avatar for cl_coldfingers
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 12-16-2007 - 4:57pm

Since I am not a medical person, nutrionist or dietician, this is only my thoughts.


iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2007
Mon, 12-17-2007 - 7:36pm

Hi,

I just wanted to mention two things. One is that Chromium has not been found to help Western populations with type 2 diabetes and second it may increase certain risks. I will post some articles. Cinnamon is very promising...just be careful with it while taking other diabetes meds as it will lower your glucose and could cause hypoglycemia when taken with other glucose lowering drugs.

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Chromium Does Not Improve Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes

By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) May 21 - Chromium treatment does not appear to improve glycemic control in Western patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a report in the May issue of Diabetes Care.

"In non-Western diabetic populations, there is some evidence that chromium might be beneficial," Dr. Nanno Kleefstra, from Isala Clinics, Zwolle in the Netherlands told Reuters Health. "In Western populations until now it does not seem to help in the dosages used."

Dr. Kleefstra and colleagues investigated the effects of chromium yeast on glycemic control, insulin resistance, and factors associated with the metabolic syndrome in type 2 diabetes patients residing in a northern region of the Netherlands. Fifty-seven patients were randomized to receive 400 micrograms of chromium per day or placebo.

After 3 and 6 months of treatment, there were no differences between the chromium group and the control group for fasting plasma glucose level, A1c, blood pressure, body fat percentage, weight, lipid profile, and insulin resistance, the authors report.

Two patients, one in the intervention group and one in the control group, experienced gastrointestinal symptoms, the report indicates.

"Especially in Western patients, chromium is not beneficial for improving glycemic control," Dr. Kleefstra concluded.

However, many patients use chromium as OTC supplements, so physicians should be aware of a theoretical blood glucose-lowering effect that may result in hypoglycemia in patients on sulfonylureas or insulin, he cautioned.

"I think it is essential to get a tool with which we can detect whether patients are chromium-deficient or not," Dr. Kleefstra added. "It would be interesting to study a deficient population."

Diabetes Care 2007;30:1092-1096.

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