Effect of Chromium Picolinate/Biotin Supplementation with Diabetes Education on Blood Sugar Levels in Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Program

Methods: An open-labeled, 12-week controlled study was conducted to determine the effects of diabetes education with the combination of chromium picolinate (CP) with biotin supplementation on fasting blood glucose (FBG) and PPG levels in people with type 2 DM( N =23) who were on prescribed oral medications for at least the previous 6 months, HbA1c >7%, and at least a one-year history of type 2 DM. These subjects received a combination of CP (300mcg Cr) and biotin (150mcg) twice daily for 3 months. Baseline glucose values were compared to glucose levels at 15 days, 30 days, 60 days and 90 days treatment. Risk factors such as blood pressure, smoking, family history, exercise, and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Results: Patients given diabetes education and taking the dietary supplement showed a significant decrease in PPG (p<0.01) and FBG (p<0.05) levels at the end of 3 months supplementation. No significant changes were observed in BMI and blood pressure. Conclusion: The combination of diabetes education with CP and biotin supplement is efficacious, and likely useful as a nutritional adjuvant with hypoglycemic medications to help lower elevated blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes. Controlled double blind clinical studies are ongoing to explore the mechanism of action and to study the effect of the CP and biotin combination on diabetes risk factors.