The Influences of Chromium Supplementation on Metabolic Status in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Coronary Heart Disease

This investigation was conducted to determine the effects of chromium supplementation on metabolic status in diabetic patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed in 64 diabetic patients with CHD between October 2017 and January 2018. Patients were randomly divided into two groups to obtain either 200 mu g chromium (n = 32) or placebo (n = 32) for 12 weeks. Chromium supplementation significantly reduced body weight (- 0.9 +/- 1.6 vs. + 0.1 +/- 0.8 kg, P = 0.001), BMI (- 0.4 +/- 0.7 vs. + 0.1 +/- 0.3 kg/m(2), P = 0.002), fasting glucose (beta - 11.03 mg/dL; 95% CI, - 18.97, - 3.09; P = 0.007), insulin (beta - 1.33 mu IU/mL; 95% CI, - 1.90, - 0.76; P < 0.001), and insulin resistance (beta - 0.44; 95% CI, - 0.62, - 0.25; P < 0.001) and significantly increased insulin sensitivity (beta 0.007; 95% CI, 0.003, 0.01; P < 0.001) compared with the placebo. In addition, taking chromium led to a significant reduction in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (beta - 0.49 mg/L; 95% CI, - 0.91, - 0.06; P = 0.02) and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (beta - 0.22 mu mol/L; 95% CI, - 0.35, - 0.10; P = 0.001); also, a significant rise in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (beta 84.54 mmol/L; 95% CI, 31.05, 138.02; P = 0.002) was observed in comparison with placebo. Additionally, chromium administration significantly reduced diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (beta - 5.01 mmHg; 95% CI, - 9.04, - 0.97; P = 0.01) compared with the placebo. Overall, the 12-week supplementation of chromium to diabetic patients with CHD had beneficial impacts on weight, BMI, glycemic control, hs-CRP, TAC, MDA, and DBP.