Diachrome® Effective for Daily Diabetes Regimen

NEW HAVEN, Conn.A combination of chromium picolinate and biotin (Diachrome®, Nutrition 21 Inc.) was found to safely improve blood glucose levels and cholesterol metabolism in people with type 2 diabetes. In the placebo-controlled, double blind pilot study, 43 diabetes patients (receiving anti-diabetic therapy) were randomized to receive 600 g (2 mg/d) of Diachrome (Diabetes Technol Ther, 8, 6:636-43, 2006). Glycemic control and blood lipid measurements were taken at baseline and again at four weeks, at which point the total area under the curve for glucose showed a significantly greater reduction. During an oral glucose tolerance test the treatment group had a mean change of 9.7 percent compared with placebo (mean change +5.1 percent, P<0.03). Significantly greater reductions were also seen in fructosamine (P<0.03), triglycerides (P<0.02), and triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio (P<0.05) in the treatment group; with no significant adverse events. Results from this pilot study promote the potential benefits of supplementing chromium picolinate and biotin with ones daily diabetes care regimen, said Gregory Singer, M.D., lead author and cardiovascular medicine specialist at Yale University School of Medicine. Chromium picolinate with biotin represents an adjunctive strategy to conventional oral diabetes therapy for improved blood sugar control and cholesterol metabolism.