The effect of oral supplementation of chromium picolinate on serum levels of lipid profile, glucose status, fetuin A and inflammatory markers in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Background and objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic metabolic diseases in the world. The prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance is closely linked to NAFLD. There is some evidence for the beneficial effects of chromium picolinate in NAFLD. Its beneficial effects have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood lipids and improve antioxidant status in laboratory and animal studies. Therefore, due to the lack of human studies in this case, the present study was designed and conducted to determine the effect of oral administration of chromium picolinate on serum levels of lipid profile, blood glucose control indices, fetuin-A and inflammatory factors in patients with NAFLD. Method: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 46 patients were randomly divided into two groups of 400 micrograms daily of chromium picolinate (200 microgram pills) and placebo (two 200 microgram pills containing corn starch) for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) were measured. Data on dietary intake and physical activity level of the subjects were assessed at the beginning, middle and end of the study using 24 hour food intake and short form of International Physical Activity Questionnaire respectively. Venous blood sample after 12-14 hours fasting to determine serum levels of lipid profile, insulin, blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin status index (HOMA-IR), fetuin-A, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-17 (IL-17) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured before and after the study. Results: Of total 46 patients enrolled, 43 subjects completed the study (22 in the chromium picolinate group and 21 in the placebo group). Supplementation with chromium picolinate decreased significantly serum concentrations of triglyceride (P=0.037), plasma atherogenesis index (AIP) (P=0.015), insulin (P=0.011), HOMA-IR index (P=0.003), fetuin-A (P=0.037), TNF-α (P=0.035) and hs-CRP (P=0.021). However, there was no effect on serum glucose, HbA1C, other lipid profile components and IL-17 (P>0.05). Also in the chromium picolinate group after 12 weeks of supplementation there was a significant decrease in total cholesterol, TG, glucose, HOMA-IR, insulin, TNF-α and fetuin-A compared to baseline. Conclusion: The findings of our study suggested that the administration of chromium picolinate (400 μg / day) for 12 weeks in patients with NAFLD had beneficial effects on glycemic control, some components of lipid profile and inflammatory markers.