Back

Potential benefits of chromium supplementation in PCOS

Summaries 2 min 575

Font Size

Created On: 06/09/2025

For polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), chromium supplementation has recently emerged as a potential treatment option.

See All

Key take away

Chromium picolinate supplementation (dosage 200 μg) significantly improves metabolic, hormonal, and reproductive parameters in women with PCOS and also outperforms metformin in reducing insulin resistance and luteinizing hormone levels.

Background

For polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), chromium supplementation has recently emerged as a potential treatment option. However, its effectiveness compared to metformin remains unclear. Therefore, this study sought to assess chromium's utility in women diagnosed with PCOS.

Method

A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed leveraging data from eligible studies sourced through Google Scholar, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Effect sizes for biochemical markers were calculated via mean difference and standardized mean difference.

Result

In total, 10 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 683 women were included. Compared to placebo, chromium supplementation markedly reduced fasting blood insulin (P = 0.01), triglycerides (P < 0.00001), total cholesterol (P < 0.00001), very low-density lipoprotein (P < 0.00001), low-density lipoprotein (P = 0.0003), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (P = 0.02), malondialdehyde (P = 0.007), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (P = 0.0007), and prolactin levels (P = 0.01).

It also led to improvements in the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) (P = 0.02), total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.0001), and ovulation rates (P = 0.001). Furthermore, chromium was more beneficial than metformin in lowering Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR; P < 0.00001) and luteinizing hormone levels (P = 0.04).

Conclusion

Chromium picolinate at a daily dose of 200 μg offered comparable benefits to metformin in improving fasting glucose, insulin levels, ovulation, and pregnancy outcomes in women with PCOS, with potentially fewer adverse effects. Nevertheless, further studies are warranted to establish robust dietary recommendations for chromium use in this population.