Plant-based fitness supplements for reversing metabolic syndrome

By Dr. Liji Thomas, MDReviewed by Lauren HardakerJul 2 2025

A new study reveals that while exercise is key, specific plant-based mineral nutrients may offer an added metabolic boost and enhance your workouts and diet.

Study: Effects of 12 Weeks of Chromium, Phyllanthus emblica Fruit Extract, and Shilajit Supplementation on Markers of Cardiometabolic Health, Fitness, and Weight Loss in Men and Women with Risk Factors to Metabolic Syndrome Initiating an Exercise and Diet Intervention: A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Image credit: Supitcha McAdam/Shutterstock.com

Exercise is fundamental to a healthy life, but its effects depend on a fitness-promoting diet. Lifestyle changes that integrate these aspects are often advised to help manage metabolic syndrome and its complications. A recent experimental trial published in Nutrients examined the effect of chromium supplements and plant-based extracts that enhance its bioavailability and improve cardiometabolic markers.

Introduction

People often become more sedentary as they age, with increased fat mass and impaired glucose and lipid metabolism. This elevates the risk of metabolic syndrome, which is defined by the presence of at least three out of several key health conditions. These include abdominal obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance, high triglycerides, and low high-density lipoproteins (HDL, ‘good’ cholesterol).

While exercise and dietary changes help reduce this risk, their impact must be carefully assessed while making recommendations. The current study aimed to obtain evidence of how three nutrients popularly associated with cardiometabolic risk affect the outcomes of an integrated weight loss program in a high-risk group.

The three test nutrients include trivalent chromium (Cr), Phyllanthus emblica (PE), and Shilajit (SJ).

Phyllanthus emblica, also known as the Indian gooseberry or emblic, is rich in multiple phytochemicals with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective attributes. It may also improve endothelial health and function, reduce platelet aggregation, and lower blood glucose levels.

Shilajit, also known as mum, mumie, or mumlayi, is a mineral found in mountain rock crevices in Central Asia. It enhances stress adaptation and has added antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In traditional Indian medicine, it is used to manage hypertension, diabetes mellitus, high blood lipids, and inflammation.

Chromium is reported to improve blood glucose control, restoring impaired insulin sensitivity. It may also improve body composition by reducing fat mass.

The current study aimed to identify whether combining these three might enhance their individual effects.

About the study

The study included 166 people with a sedentary lifestyle and two or more markers of metabolic syndrome. Their average age was 48.6 years, and their mean body mass index was 34.2 kg/m².

Candidates participated in a 12-week exercise program incorporating endurance and resistance exercises performed three days a week under supervision, with 10,000 steps on the intervening days. They were also asked to cut their energy intake by 5%.

The participants were divided into five groups, matched for age and sex, BMI, and body mass. One group received a placebo. The other four received Phyllanthus emblica (PE), trivalent chromium (Cr), and the herb shilajit (SJ) in various combinations once a day for 12 weeks:

• 500 mg PE (PE-500)
• 1000 mg/d of PE (PE-1000)
• 400 µg of Cr with 6 mg each of PE and SJ (Cr-400)
• 800 µg of Cr with 12 mg each of PE and SJ (Cr-800) 

Study findings

Compared to placebo, all intervention groups showed modest improvements in cardiometabolic markers, particularly at six weeks, although not all changes reached statistical significance. The effects were generally less significant by 12 weeks.

Training adaptation

Training adaptations were observed in all groups. Lifting volume nearly doubled during resistance training over 12 weeks. Resting energy expenditure also increased, with higher fat and carbohydrate oxidation at rest. Resting heart rate and diastolic blood pressure went down in most groups.

All groups had an increased aerobic capacity and could go longer before muscle fatigue set in. These effects were most prominent with Cr-400. However, the improvements in these areas were not statistically different from those in the placebo group, indicating that the effects were primarily due to exercise.

Muscular strength and endurance increased in all groups, but the PE-1000 showed higher gains, suggesting its superior effect. Fat was lost in all groups, but lean mass increased in the Cr-800 group over the PE-1000 or Cr-400 groups at 12 weeks. The Cr-800 group showed significantly greater fat loss and lean muscle gain at six weeks compared to placebo, but this advantage was not sustained at 12 weeks. The overall effect of these changes was small.

Cardiometabolic changes

The changes in lipid levels were comparable to those in the placebo group, attributable to the effect of exercise. However, glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity markers improved with Cr-400 and PE-1000 compared to placebo. Some of these differences reached statistical significance, while others only approached it. Notably, changes in glucose and insulin markers were generally modest.

PE appears to have an anti-inflammatory effect irrespective of Cr when used alongside a combined exercise and dietary intervention.

Platelet function improved with Cr-800 and PE-1000 supplementation compared to the placebo, and hemodynamic markers like flow-mediated dilation diameter were better. However, the increase in platelet aggregation, used in the study to infer improved platelet function, should be interpreted with caution, as it may be misunderstood without context.

No adverse effects were observed on blood cells, mood, quality of life, or side effects, indicating that these supplements were well-tolerated. A slight increase in reported dizziness was noted in the PE-1000 group, though this was not statistically significant. In all groups, exercise and a healthy diet promoted mood stability, improved energy, and the ability to do vigorous activities.

Prior research corroborates these findings, showing that PE is as effective as atorvastatin at higher doses in improving endothelial function and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Chromium was also reported to have some similar effects. However, past research has shown inconsistent outcomes, and bioavailability challenges for chromium remain a concern.

Conclusions

In overweight people at risk for metabolic syndrome, “the results suggest that PE and Cr with PE and SJ supplementation may enhance some exercise- and diet-induced changes in markers of health.” The higher doses (PE-1000 and Cr-800) had greater benefits, though all dosages were associated with some beneficial effects.

However, many improvements were also seen in the placebo group, emphasizing that exercise and dietary modification were the primary drivers of change. The reported differences between supplement and placebo groups were generally small and sometimes short-lived.

Additional validation is required to reproduce these exploratory efforts in a more diverse population before they can be accepted as definitive.

Future research could extend the scope of the study to younger people, those in training, and those without risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Additionally, it is unclear whether these benefits persist without exercise training and with other types of diet modifications. The study also highlights the need to differentiate statistically significant findings from trends and to consider clinical relevance when evaluating supplement efficacy.

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