Chromium levels in healthy and newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic children.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to compare the chromium levels of plasma (PCL), erythrocyte (ECL) and urine (UCL) in type 1 diabetics and healthy subjects and to review the relation between metabolic parameters.


METHODS
We evaluated 165 subjects who were: newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics (group 1 [n= 29]); previously diagnosed type 1 diabetics (group 2 [n= 18]); non-diabetic control subjects who were admitted and treated for any reason in hospital (group 3 [n= 21]); and two other groups of control subjects from two schools that have different socioeconomic levels (group 4 [n= 48] and group 5 [n= 49]).


RESULTS
PCL in group 1 and group 2 subjects (7.21 ± 4.78 and 10.94 ± 3.04 mcg/L, respectively) was significantly lower than in all control groups (21.84 ± 7.87, 16.11 ± 7.44, 17.25 ± 8.58 mcg/L, respectively) (P < 0.05). A significant difference in PCL between the group 1 and group 2 subjects was present (7.21 ± 4.78 and 10.94 ± 3.04, respectively) (P= 0.021). ECL (as tissue chromium) in group 1 and group 2 subjects (13.99 ± 11.37 and 19.64 ± 12.58, respectively) was significantly lower than in all control groups (28.20 ± 7.34.25, 49 ± 12.47, 26.37 ± 9.77 mcg/L, respectively) (P= 0.05). UCL in group 1 and group 2 subjects (11.44 ± 6.88 and 15.68 ± 6.75 mcg/L, respectively) was significantly lower than in group 3 subjects (28.83 ± 9.37 mcg/L) (P < 0.05). There were significant correlations between length, bodyweight and PCL in the group 1 subjects (r = 0.42, P= 0.22 and r = 0.53, P= 0.03, respectively). There was a negative correlation between plasma glucose and UCL, which was not statistically significant in group 2 subjects (r =-0.4, P= 0.061).


CONCLUSIONS
There was a negative chromium balance in type 1 diabetics. This negative balance may affect the insulin function badly. If this negative balance should be confirmed by recent studies we suggest that chromium supplementation with insulin is necessary for type 1 diabetes.
Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey.
Barbaros Sahin
BS
Karagun
Fatih
F
Temiz
Guler
G
Ozer
Bilgin
B
Yuksel
Ali Kemal
AK
Topaloglu
Neslihan Onenli
NO
Mungan
Muhsin
M
Mazman
Gokhan Murat
GM
Karagun
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002857:Chromium / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male
D015415:Biomarkers; D002857:Chromium; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007328:Insulin