The Effectiveness of Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro Inositol Treatment in Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Inositol has been used as a supplement in treating several pathologies such as PCOS, metabolic syndrome, and gestational diabetes. Both myo-inositol and its isomer d-chiro-inositol showed insulin mimetic effects in conditions of insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a condition typically caused by insulin resistance. There is a lack of evidence of inositol use in T2DM. We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of myo-inositol and d-chiro-inositol treatment in T2DM. This was a pilot study involving a consecutive sample of patients with T2DM with suboptimal glycemic control (HbA1c 7.0–10.0%) already treated with glucose-lowering agents. Patients (23.1% males, mean age of 60.8 ± 11.7 years) took for three months a combination of myo-inositol (550 mg) and d-chiro-inositol (13.8 mg) orally twice a day as add-on supplement to their glucose-lowering drugs. Possible occurrence of side effects was investigated. After three months of treatment fasting blood glucose (192.6 ± 60.2 versus 160.9 ± 36.4; p = 0.02) and HbA1c levels (8.6 ± 0.9 versus 7.7 ± 0.9; p = 0.02) significantly decreased compared to baseline. There was no significant difference in blood pressure, lipid profile, and BMI levels. None of the participants reported side effects. In conclusion, a supplementation with a combination of myo- and d-chiro-inositol is an effective and safe strategy for improving glycemic control in T2DM.

Inositol and antioxidant supplementation: Safety and efficacy in pregnancy

“…In a pilot study involving 20 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, a combination of Myo 550 mg and DCI 13.8 mg added twice a day to glucose‐lowering drugs was associated with a significant reduction in blood glucose and HbA 1c levels after a 3‐month follow‐up . Sixty days of treatment with a fixed combination of Myo/DCI/Folic Acid (2000 mg/400 mg/400 μg, respectively) plus 10 mg of manganese was shown to significantly improve plasma lipids and blood glucose in a study carried out in 48 healthy pregnant women, enrolled between 13 and 24 weeks of gestation…”

A comparative study of combination of Myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol versus Metformin in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome in obese women with infertility

“…In a study done by Pintadi B et al, in which they concluded that Myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol are very effective in Control of insulin resistance. 19 Various studies have been conducted comparing Myoinositol with Metformin in obese women with infertility. In a study done by Awalekar Present study was directed towards comparing the use of Myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol compared to Metformin alone where in, both the drugs led to statistically significant improvement in insulin resistance, over the period of 24 weeks, but the hormone profile (LH/FSH ratio and free testosterone) was well controlled in the Myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol group.…”

The Effectiveness of D-Chiro Inositol Treatment in Gestational Diabetes

“…DCI therefore acts as an insulin-sensitizing agent, and has shown promise as a treatment for diseases with glucose intolerance, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and T2DM [8][9][10][11].…”

“…Myo-inositol (MYO-INS) and D-chiro-inositol (DCI) are stereoisomers of inositol which have been shown to exert insulinmimetic action and to lower postprandial glucose. In particular, DCI plays a key role in the insulin pathway, acting as insulin sensitizing through the enhancement of glucose peripheral tissue uptake and glycogen synthesis [7][8][9][10][11]. Thanks to these effects, they have been used for the treatment of insulin resistance states as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), T2DM or GDM [12,13].…”