Effects of pinitol on glycemic control, insulin resistance and adipocytokine levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND Pinitol is thought to mediate insulin action and improve insulin resistance. We evaluated the effects of pinitol on glycemic control, insulin resistance and adipocytokine levels in type 2 diabetic patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD A total of 66 patients with type 2 diabetes who had been taking oral hypoglycemic agents for at least 3 months were enrolled and randomized to receive pinitol (n = 33) or matching placebo (n = 33). All subjects took 1,200 mg pinitol or placebo and maintained their current oral hypoglycemic agents throughout the study. RESULTS Mean HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, and HOMA-IR were significantly lowered more in patients taking pinitol than in those given a placebo. Patients who had an HbA1c over 8.0% showed a greater reduction (p < 0.01) than those who had an HbA1c below 8.0% (p =0.16). In addition, in the group of patients with a HOMA-IR over 2.5, there was a significant decrease in HbA1c compared to that in the group of patients with a HOMA-IR below 2.5. There were no differences in the changes in adiponectin, FFA and CRP between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Pinitol can mediate insulin action to improve glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially in patients with insulin resistance.