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Chromium Good for the
Diabetic Heart
posted June 10,
2005
Chromium supplementation can lead to
a shortening of a harmful heart rhythm, which may lower cardiovascular risk in
type 2 diabetics.
Chromium supplementation may be good for the heart in people with type 2
diabetes, according to study findings. It appears to lead to a shortening of a
harmful heart rhythm, which may lower cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetics.
The heart rhythm disturbance known as a prolonged QT interval has been linked to
fatal heart arrhythmias. Therefore, the changes in QT interval observed with
chromium supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes may also translate
into a survival benefit, study investigator Dr. Bojan Vrtovec from Ljubljana
University Medical Center in Slovenia told Reuters Health.
In the study, researchers had 30 diabetic patients take 1000 micrograms of
chromium daily for 3 months followed by an inactive placebo for 3 months.
Another 30 diabetic patients started with 3 months of placebo and then crossed
over to chromium for 3 months.
At the start of the trial, the QT interval viewed on a standard
electrocardiogram or ECG was similar in both groups -- 422 milliseconds in the
first group and 425 in the second group.
However, at 3 months, the QT interval was significantly shorter in the
supplementation group (406 milliseconds) than in the placebo group.
In the next 3 months, QT shortening was observed in the second group but not in
the first group. At the end of the study, the OT interval duration was similar
in both groups and was markedly lower overall than at the start of the trial
before chromium supplementation. This study shows that increased intake of
chromium may lower cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetic patients, the
researchers say.
They also note in the American Heart Journal that blood insulin levels decreased
significantly after 3 months of chromium supplementation and this may be partly
responsible for the QT interval shortening.
A prolonged QT interval has been associated with high blood sugar levels, high
insulin levels and reduced sensitivity to insulin in type 2 diabetics, they
explain. Chromium supplementation improves sensitivity to insulin, lowers blood
insulin levels and improves glucose homeostasis.
Source: Diabetes In Control.com:
American Heart Journal April 2005.
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