Do complementary agents lower HbA1c when used with standard type 2 diabetes therapy?

Four small, placebo-controlled RCTs of fenugreek, milk thistle, and safflower oil found statistically and clinically significant reductions in HbA1c, but all these studies were of poor quality with unclear methods of randomization, threats to blinding, and a lack of baseline demographics.^5-8

RECOMMENDATIONS

Both the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Diabetes UK Nutrition Working Group state that, “there is no clear evidence of benefit from vitamin or mineral supplementation in people with diabetes (compared with the general population), who do not have underlying deficiencies.”^9,10 The ADA specifically states that chromium cannot be recommended because it lacks any clear benefit.⁹