ReviewNutrition reviews2016
Chromium supplements for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: limited evidence of effectiveness.
Review in Nutrition reviews, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of Chromium Supplementation on Blood Glucose and Lipid Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Biological trace element research · 2022Pooled it
- Environmental Metals and Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: A Systematic Review Beyond Lead and Cadmium.Current environmental health reports · 2016Pooled it
- A multifaceted lifestyle program for weight loss in overweight adults: evidence from a randomised clinical trial.European journal of nutrition · 2026Trial
- A comparative study to assess the use of chromium in type 2 diabetes mellitus.Journal of medicine and life · 2023Trial
- Chromium(III) Beyond Insulin: A Mechanistic Roadmap Across the Energy-Redox-Inflammation Triad in Obesity and Cardiometabolic Disease.Biological trace element research · 2026Review
- Zinc and Copper Metallic Instability: Investigating Altered Metal Functionality in both Human and Animal Studies.Biological trace element research · 2026Review
- Chromium as a Modulator of Insulin Receptor Activity: A Systematic Review of Its Role in Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2026Review
- Dietary Supplements Derived from Food By-Products for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Protective Effects of Taurine, a Non-essential Amino Acid, Against Metals Toxicities: A Review Article.Biological trace element research · 2025Review
- Understanding Cr(III) Action on Mitochondrial ATP Synthase and AMPK Efficacy: Insights from Previous Studies-a Review.Biological trace element research · 2024Review
- Association and Interaction between Heavy Metals and Hyperuricemia in a Taiwanese Population.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Non-invasive radionuclide imaging of trace metal trafficking in health and disease: "PET metallomics".RSC chemical biology · 2022Review
- Evaluation of hypoglycemic therapeutics and nutritional supplementation for type 2 diabetes mellitus management: An insight on molecular approaches.Biotechnology letters · 2022Review
- Nutrition in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Present Knowledge and Remaining Challenges.Nutrients · 2021Review
- Potential Ameliorative Effects of Chromium Supplementation on Glucose Metabolism, Obesity, and Genomic Stability in Prediabetic Rat Model.Biological trace element research · 2021Article
- Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc, and Chromium Levels in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Review
- Assessment and Monitoring of Fish Quality from a Coastal Ecosystem under High Anthropic Pressure: A Case Study in Southern Italy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Use and abuse of dietary supplements in persons with diabetes.Nutrition & diabetes · 2020Review
- Chromium(III) Glycinate Complex Supplementation Improves the Blood Glucose Level and Attenuates the Tissular Copper to Zinc Ratio in Rats with Mild Hyperglycaemia.Biological trace element research · 2020Article
- The association of urine metals and metal mixtures with cardiovascular incidence in an adult population from Spain: the Hortega Follow-Up Study.International journal of epidemiology · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Some adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) believe that chromium-containing supplements will help control their disease, but the evidence is mixed. This narrative review examines the efficacy of chromium supplements for improving glycemic control as measured by decreases in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Using systematic search criteria, 20 randomized controlled trials of chromium supplementation in T2DM patients were identified. Clinically meaningful treatment goals were defined as an FPG of ≤7.2 mmol/dL, a decline in HbA1c to ≤7%, or a decrease of ≥0.5% in HbA1c. In only a few randomized controlled trials did FPG (5 of 20), HbA1c (3 of 14), or both (1 of 14) reach the treatment goals with chromium supplementation. HbA1c declined by ≥0.5% in 5 of 14 studies. On the basis of the low strength of existing evidence, chromium supplements have limited effectiveness, and there is little rationale to recommend their use for glycemic control in patients with existing T2DM. Future meta-analyses should include only high-quality studies with similar forms of chromium and comparable inclusion/exclusion criteria to provide scientifically sound recommendations for clinicians.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.