Effects of chromium supplementation on body composition in patients with type 2 diabetes: A dose-response systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Introduction: Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated the beneficial effects of chromium supplementation in managing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The current systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the associations between chromium supplementation and body composition in patients with T2DM.Methods: To achieve this, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that reported the effects of chromium supplementation on body composition such as body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), and waist circumference (WC) in patients with T2DM from inception until July 2023. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a fixed-effects model.Results: The meta-analysis included a total of 14 RCTs. The results showed that chromium supplementation did not have any significant effect on FM (WMD = - 0.43%; 95% CI-0.94, 0.09), BMI (WMD: 0.09 kg/M2, 95% CI:-0.03, 0.20), WC (WMD:-0.47 cm, 95% CI:-1.10, 0.16), and BW (WMD:-0.26 kg, 95% CI:-0.69, 0.16). However, subgroup analysis revealed that chromium intake decreased FM in subjects aged > 55 years and when chromium picolinate was used as an intervention. Additionally, there was a non-linear association between the dose of chromium supplementation and BW.Conclusions: The meta-analysis suggests that chromium supplementation does not significantly reduce BW, BMI, WC, and FM in patients with T2DM. Further RCTs with large-scale are required to determine the possible anti-obesity effects of chromium in patients with T2DM.