Chromium added to antidiabetes treatment

USA-based Akesis Pharmaceuticals says that data from a study published in the August issue of the journal Diabetes Care demonstrates the positive clinical effects of the addition of trace amounts of the element chromium to a commonly-prescribed oral antidiabetic. The group found that combining a small amount of chromium with existing treatments improved both insulin sensitivity and glucose control, as well as attenuating some of the body weight gain associated with type 2 diabetes.

The trial, which was carried out by researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, enrolled 37 subjects with type 2 diabetes who, following three months on a 5mg/day sulfonylurea-based regimen, were randomized to receive the drug plus either 1,000 mcg of chromium picolinate or placebo, for a further six months.

Akesis' president, Edward Wilson, said that the firm, which holds several patents on the combined use of chromium, vanadium and other compounds and sulfonylureas, was encouraged by the growing number of placebo-controlled trials that support the potential benefits of such treatments. He added that firm was planning to take steps to confirm the clinical utility of its proprietary products in company-sponsored trials in the near future.