Type 2 diabetes develops from insulin insensitivity. People with type 2 diabetes generally produce adequate amounts of insulin, but their cells do not respond properly to it. Eating sweets and refined starches stimulates insulin release. When this type of food consumption is excessive and habitual, the body becomes progressively less responsive to insulin—a condition known as insulin resistance.
As insulin resistance worsens, the body compensates by producing even more insulin. Over time, this state of chronic hyperinsulinemia can contribute to weight gain, elevated cholesterol, and high blood pressure, and may eventually lead to type 2 diabetes.
Research appearing in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition (2008 Nov;43(3):191–198) examined the effects of supplementation on insulin resistance. In this double-blind study, 30 subjects were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo, chromium alone, or chromium combined with vitamins C and E.
After six months, subjects receiving chromium—either alone or in combination with vitamins C and E—showed improved antioxidant status. These groups also demonstrated reduced insulin resistance, lower fasting glucose levels, and lower hemoglobin A1c levels (a marker of long-term blood glucose control).
The authors concluded:
“These findings suggest that chromium together with vitamins C and E was effective for minimization of oxidative stress and improvement of glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetes patients.”
