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The effects of chromium supplementation on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 76, pages 340–349 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Results of studies on the effect of chromium supplementation on blood pressure (BP) are contradictory. The purpose of the current study was to carry out a meta-analysis on the effects of chromium supplementation on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase databases from inception up to July 2020 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluate the impacts of chromium on SBP and DBP. A random-effects model was used to compute weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was determined by I2 statistics and the Cochrane Q test. Sensitivity analysis was performed by eliminating each study one by one and recalculating the pooled effect. Ten studies comprising a total of 624 subjects were included in our meta-analysis. Chromium supplementation did not significantly change SBP (WMD: −0.642: 95% CI: (−2.15, 1.30) mmHg; p = 0.312; I2 = 12.7%) and DBP (WMD: −0.10; 95% CI: (−1.39, 1.18) mmHg; p = 0.070; I2 = 37.6%). Subgroup analysis based on dose and duration of chromium supplementation also did not significantly change the mean of SBP and DBP. The present meta-analysis of RCTs did not show the beneficial effects of chromium supplementation on BP in adults.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2: Meta-analysis of the effects of chromium on SBP.
Fig. 3: Meta-analysis of the effects of chromium on DBP.
Fig. 4: Meta-analysis of the effects of chromium on SBP.
Fig. 5: Meta-analysis of the effects of chromium on SBP.
Fig. 6: Meta-analysis of the effects of chromium on DBP.
Fig. 7: Meta-analysis of the effects of chromium on DBP.

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Acknowledgements

This research did not receive any specific grant. We would like to express our thanks to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not 230 for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

    Mahtab Ghanbari, Mohammad Reza Amini & Sakineh Shab-Bidar

  2. Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

    Kurosh Djafarian

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Contributions

MGH and SSB designed the study; MGH and MRA independently carried out the literature search and screening of the article; MRA analyzed the data and MGH and SSB contributed to the interpretation of the data. MGH wrote the manuscript and KD and SS-B critically revised the manuscript; SS-B supervised the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sakineh Shab-Bidar.

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Ghanbari, M., Amini, M.R., Djafarian, K. et al. The effects of chromium supplementation on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Eur J Clin Nutr 76, 340–349 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00973-8

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