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Chromium

Specific Recommendations:

• Chromium supplements at Amazon.com

News & Research:

• Chromium picolinate may lessen inflammation in diabetic nephropathy; Supplement linked to decreased protein in the urine of diabetic mice - Science Daily, 9/22/10 - "mice who received the supplement had lower levels of albuminuria (protein in the urine), an indication of kidney disease ... the treated diabetic mice, who were fed the diet with chromium picolinate, excreted about half as much albumin compared to their untreated diabetic counterparts"
• Chromium ingredient may have diabetes benefits: study - Nutra USA, 6/11/08 - "This suggests that [niacin-bound chromium] is more effective form of [chromium (III) ion] in preventing vascular inflammation in diabetic rats, and thereby, can potentially reduce risk of CVD in diabetes ... ChromeMate is also highly effective in helping maintain healthy blood sugar levels and body weight, which is important for people with diabetes. Given the close link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease, ChromeMate represents a triple benefit in promoting good health" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Chromium ingredient may lower blood pressure: study - Nutra USA, 5/15/08 - "niacin-bound chromium III (NBC) may act as an ACE inhibitor, which work by inhibiting the conversion of angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II, thereby improving blood flow and blood pressure" - I've been told that niacin-bound chromium is sold as ChromeMate®.  See chromium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Dangers of Chromium? - Dr. Weil, 4/21/08 - "The possibility of DNA damage was suggested by studies of chromium picolinate in cell cultures. There is no evidence of such an effect in any living organism. To follow-up on the cell culture results, researchers at New York University studied the effects of 400 micrograms of chromium picolinate over an eight week period in 10 overweight women and found no sign of DNA damage"
• Get the diet scoop: 6 promising supplements, 6 to avoid - CNN, 2/16/07 - "promising ... Caffeine ... EGCG ... Chromium ... Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) ... 5-HTP ... L-dopa or L-tyrosine"
• Research Affirms the Benefits of Combination of Chromium Picolinate and Biotin for Improving Blood Sugar in People with Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 1/8/07 - "A significant decrease in fasting glucose levels of 4.67 mmol/L and postprandial glucose levels of 5.77 mmol/L was seen in patients taking chromium picolinate. The study showed that blood glucose levels continued to improve each year throughout the six years of the study"
• Research Affirms the Benefits of Combination of Chromium Picolinate and Biotin for Improving Blood Sugar in People with Type 2 Diabetes - Doctor's Guide, 12/20/06 - "The 30-day study examined 36 overweight or obese poorly controlled patients with type 2 diabetes taking Diachrome who were already receiving oral anti-diabetic drug(s). The results also showed a significantly greater reduction in the total area under the curve for glucose (AUCg) during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for the treatment group (mean change -9.7%) compared with the placebo group (mean change +5.1%)"
• Chromium Picolinate Supplements Improve Glycemic Control - Physician's Weekly, 11/13/06 - "Patients who received 1,000 µg CrPic demonstrated significant improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose control when compared with placebo. Patients in the CrPic arm also gained less weight (0.9 kg vs 2.2 kg) than those in the placebo arm and had a smaller increase in body fat (0.12% vs 1.17%)"
• Chromium for Diabetes: Evidence of Benefits Grows - New Hope Natural Media Online, 10/23/06 - "Compared with those who took glipizide and placebo, people taking glipizide plus chromium (500 mcg twice a day as chromium picolinate) experienced multiple benefits, including significantly improved insulin sensitivity, less weight gain, less abdominal fat, lower percent body fat, and lower glycohemoglobin (an indicator of sugar-induced damage to tissues caused by diabetes)"
• Supplementation With Chromium Picolinate Improves Glycemic Control, Attenuates Weight Gain - Doctor's Guide, 8/9/06 - "Blood sugar levels of study participants taking chromium picolinate in combination with the antidiabetic medication dropped significantly compared to the group taking the medication plus placebo ... Study participants taking chromium picolinate also experienced significantly lower abdominal body fat accumulation than the group taking medication and placebo, and experienced less overall weight gain" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Chromium Improves Glycemic Control When Sulfonylurea Is Insufficient - Medscape, 8/3/06 - "By the end of the randomized treatment period, mean fasting glucose had decreased by 31.0 mg/dL in the CrPic group, which was significantly superior to the mean 11.3 mg/dL decrease in the placebo group ... Participants receiving placebo gained weight and percent body fat during the randomized treatment period, whereas subjects receiving CrPic experienced an increase in fat-free mass vs baseline. Only subjects receiving placebo had increases in total abdominal, visceral, and abdominal subcutaneous fat"
• Chromium supplement offers diabetes hope – animal study - Nutra USA, 2/7/06 - "Obese rats treated with chromium picolinate had significantly improved glucose disposal rates"
• Chromium Picolinate Linked With Reduced Carbohydrate Cravings in People With Atypical Depression - Doctor's Guide, 9/29/05 - "65% of the chromium picolinate patients with high carbohydrate craving versus 33% of those receiving placebo had significantly greater improvements on total HAM-D-29 scores (p < 0.05). HAM-D-29 is a standard tool commonly used in assessing severity of symptoms in depressed patients"
• Study Results Show Diachrome(R) Improves Poorly-Controlled Blood Sugar Levels for People on Antidiabetic Prescription Medications - Doctor's Guide, 9/13/05 - "Study participants taking Diachrome with one or more antidiabetic medications saw an average range of 0.7 - 1.9% point reduction in HbA1c levels. The study also showed that insulin resistance was significantly reduced (P<0.05) in those taking thiazolidinediones and Diachrome ... Diachrome is a nutritional supplement specifically formulated for people with diabetes. It contains 600 mcg of chromium as Chromax(R) chromium picolinate and 2 mg of biotin" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com and biotin at Amazon.com.
• Supplemental Chromium Picolinate and Biotin Appear to Decrease Blood Glucose and Lipid Levels in Type 2 Diabetics: Presented at ADA - Doctor's Guide, 6/17/05 - "Our most important finding is that chromium picolinate and biotin help to decrease hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] values in poorly controlled diabetics ... 600 mcg chromium picolinate and biotin 2 mg/per day" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com and biotin at Amazon.com.
• New Trial Shows Chromium Picolinate Reduces Weight Gain Associated with Diabetes Medication - Doctor's Guide, 6/16/05 - "The study participants who took 1,000 mcg of Chromax(R) chromium picolinate in combination with the antidiabetic medication experienced significantly lower body fat accumulation (0.12%) than the group taking medication and placebo (1.1%), particularly in the abdomen area. The study also found those taking chromium gained less weight"
• Chromium Supplementation May Not Improve Impaired Glucose Tolerance - Medscape, 3/1/05 - "We found no beneficial effect of chromium supplementation in the treatment of people with IGT despite increases in serum chromium levels, which suggested an adequate dosage regimen"
• Novel Fiber Limits Sugar Absorption - Life Extension Magazine, 9/04 - "Life Extension recommends that people seeking to lose weight consume the following supplements: ... Chromium polynicotinate 600-1000 mcg daily ... Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) 3000-4000 mg daily ... PGX™ highly viscous fiber blend 1000-3000 mg 5-10 minutes before each meal with 8-16 ounces of water ... Consider asking your doctor to prescribe 500 mg two to three times daily of the insulin-normalizing drug metformin"
• Low Chromium Linked to Heart Disease Risk in Patients With Diabetes - Medscape, 9/3/04 - "Our results suggest that diabetic men with CVD have lower toenail chromium than healthy control subjects"
• Chromium: An Element Essential to Health - Life Extension Magazine, 8/04 - "By interacting with proteins and nucleic acids, excess glucose molecules wreak havoc with tissue elasticity and normal function.33 Thus, controlling blood sugar may actually put the brakes on the aging process, and should be an essential component of any life-extension strategy"
• Chromium Picolinate Supplementation Linked With Reduced Chromium Picolinate Supplementation Linked With Reduced Carbohydrate Cravings Associated With Atypical Depression - Doctor's Guide, 6/2/04 - [WebMD]  "daily supplementation with 600 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate, significantly reduced carbohydrate cravings compared to placebo, and improved other symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue and weight gain perception"
• What You Don’t Know About Blood Sugar - Life Extension Magazine, 1/04 - "it now appears that optimal fasting blood glucose levels should probably be under 86 mg/dL ... Chromium supplements have been shown to reduce blood glucose significantly.70-74 The dose used in human studies ranges from 200 to 1000 mcg of elemental chromium a day, with best results occurring when 400 mcg or more of chromium is taken daily"
• The Chromium Connection - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 9/03 - "The body requires certain nutrients to control glucose metabolism, especially chromium, zinc and vitamins B and C ... Diabetes is devastating because of its consequences. The condition often leads to hypertension, lipid disorders, cardiovascular disease, blindness, skin problems, nerve damage, kidney disorders and loss of limbs. Although it appears chromium picolinate may benefit your customers with type 2 diabetes, supplementation represents just one facet of treatment"
• Chromium Supplements Appear to Improve Glucose Sensitivity in Diabetics - Medscape, 8/29/03 - "We think that chromium picolinate can influence a person's diabetic treatment so that levels of insulin required may be reduced ... HbA1c levels decreased from 9.5% to 9% during a six-month period in patients receiving a higher dose of the supplement, a difference that was statistically significant ... The study also showed a significant reduction in cholesterol levels and trends for improvement in triglycerides in both chromium picolinate groups as well as a reduction in blood pressure in all groups"
• Chromium Effective for Common Type of Depression - New Hope Natural Media, 4/10/03 - "15 people suffering from atypical depression, who had been off of antidepressant medication for at least seven days, were randomly assigned to receive chromium picolinate or a placebo for eight weeks. The dose was 400 mcg per day for the first two weeks, then 600 mcg per day for the remainder of the study ... Seventy percent (7 of 10) of those receiving chromium responded to the treatment, whereas none of the five individuals in the placebo group had a positive response. Although the number of participants in the study was small, the difference in outcome between the chromium and placebo groups was highly statistically significant. Moreover, in 60% of those receiving chromium, the depression went into remission"
• Octacosanol Beats Statins - Dr. Janson, 4/02 - "Chromium supplements in the range of 200 to 400 mcg daily reduce total cholesterol and raise HDL levels, and up to 1000 mcg also help control blood sugar levels"
• Could Chromium Picolinate Cause Cancer? - WebMD, 12/11/01
• Can a Mix of Chromium and Biotin Help Diabetics Control Blood Sugar? - WebMD, 10/15/01 - "when chromium and biotin are present together, they have more of a response than what would be expected by adding their effects separately. "As soon as you put those two together, you get a much greater increase in glucose metabolism,""

Abstracts:

• Effects of chromium supplementation on oxidative Stress biomarkers - Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2021 May 20 - "Overall, this meta-analysis demonstrated that chromium supplementation increased GSH without any significant changes in the mean of GPX, MDA, TAS, TBARS, CAT and SOD" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Body Composition Changes in Weight Loss: Strategies and Supplementation for Maintaining Lean Body Mass, a Brief Review (.pdf) - Nutrients. 2018 Dec 3;10(12) - "There are a few dietary supplements that appear to help preserve LBM during weight loss or to reduce the loss of LBM as compared to diet alone. One such dietary supplement that appears to have this “LBM sparing” effect is chromium picolinate. For the reasons shared in this paper, it seems logical to include CrP as part of any reduced calorie (diet) plan as a means of keeping metabolically active LBM. Weight loss without CrP may be at the cost of LBM, thus, this adjunctive strategy appears worthy of further research and applied practice. A comprehensive approach, integrating evidence-guided macronutrient and calorie intake, resistance exercise, and chromium picolinate may be the most effective approach to preserving or increasing lean body mass while maximizing body fat mass reductions." - [Nutra USA] - See chromium picolinate at Amazon.com.
• Effects of an amylopectin and chromium complex on the anabolic response to a suboptimal dose of whey protein - J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017 Feb 8 - "muscle protein synthesis (FSR) ... amylopectin/chromium (ACr) complex ... consumed 6 g whey protein + 2 g of the amylopectin-chromium complex (WPACr) or 6 g whey protein (WP) after an overnight fast ... These data indicate that the addition of ACr to a 6 g dose of whey protein (WPACr) increases the FSR response beyond what is seen with a suboptimal dose of whey protein alone" - [Nutra USA] - See NOW Sports Waxy Maize Powder, 5.5-Pound at Amazon.com and chromium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Supplementation of Diabetic Rats with Leucine, Zinc, and Chromium: Effects on Function and Histological Structure of Testes - Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2016 Jul 5:1-11 - "Administration of nutritional supplements to the diabetic rats improved testes morphology and reversed, although not completely, impairment of spermatogenesis. Treatment with nutritional supplements increased testicular length, height, width, and volume. All treatments increased the number of live sperm and the total number of epididymal sperm. Furthermore, nutritional supplements increased diameter of tubules, height of epithelium, and the number of cells in seminiferous tubules. These alleviating effects were more pronounced in animals treated with the leucine-zinc-chromium combination. The present results demonstrate beneficial effects of zinc, leucine, and chromium supplements to improve testes morphology and to restore spermatogenesis in type 2 diabetic rats" - See BulkSupplements Pure L-Leucine Powder (1 Kilogram).
• Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Is Lower in US Adults Taking Chromium-Containing Supplements - J Nutr. 2015 Oct 7 - "Compared with nonusers, the odds of having T2D (HbA1c ≥6.5%) were lower in persons who consumed chromium-containing supplements within the previous 30 d than in those who did not (OR: 0.73" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com.
• Beneficial effects of oral chromium picolinate supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical study - J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2015 Oct - "A four month controlled, single blind, randomized trial was performed with 71 patients with poorly controlled (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]>7%) T2DM divided into 2 groups: Control (n=39, using placebo), and supplemented (n=32, using 600μg/day CrPic) ... CrPic supplementation significantly reduced the fasting glucose concentration (-31.0mg/dL supplemented group; -14.0mg/dL control group; p<0.05, post- vs. pre-treatment, in each group) and postprandial glucose concentration (-37.0mg/dL in the supplemented group; -11.5 mg/dL in the control group; p<0.05). HbA1c values were also significantly reduced in both groups (p<0.001, comparing post- vs. pre-treatment groups). Post-treatment HbA1c values in supplemented patients were significantly lower than those of control patients. HbA1c lowering in the supplemented group (-1.90), and in the control group (-1.00), was also significant, comparing pre- and post-treatment values, for each group (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively) ... HDL-c and LDL-c were significantly lowered, comparing pre- and post-treatment period, in the control group" - [Nutra USA]
• Chromium Supplementation and the Effects on Metabolic Status in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial - Ann Nutr Metab. 2015 Jul 31 - "randomized to receive 200 µg chromium picolinate supplements (n = 32) or placebo (n = 32) for 8 weeks ... Chromium supplementation in women with PCOS resulted in significant decreases in serum insulin levels (-3.6 ± 7.4 vs. +3.6 ± 6.2 µIU/ml, p < 0.001), homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; -0.8 ± 1.6 vs. +0.9 ± 1.5, p < 0.001), homeostatic model assessment-beta cell function (HOMA-B; -15.5 ± 32.3 vs. +13.6 ± 23.1, p < 0.001), and a significant increase in quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) score (+0.02 ± 0.03 vs. -0.008 ± 0.02, p = 0.001) compared with the placebo. In addition, a trend toward a significant effect of chromium supplementation on decreasing serum triglycerides (-12.4 ± 74.4 vs. +15.2 ± 32.4 mg/dl, p = 0.05), very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (-2.5 ± 14.9 vs. +3.0 ± 6.5 mg/dl, p = 0.05), and cholesterol concentrations (-8.6 ± 21.9 vs. +0.7 ± 22.4 mg/dl, p = 0.09) was seen"
• Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of chromium supplementation in diabetes - J Clin Pharm Ther. 2014 Mar 17 - "Overall, chromium mono- and combined supplementation significantly improved glycaemic control (mean difference for HbA1c -0.55% ... chromium monotherapy significantly reduced triglycerides and increased HDL-C levels. The effects on glucose and triglycerides levels were shown especially with chromium picolinate. Glycaemic control may improve with chromium monosupplementation of more than 200 μg daily. HbA1c and FPG also improved in patients with inadequate glycaemic control at baseline. The risk of adverse events did not differ between chromium and placebo"
• Chromium supplementation in overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials - Obes Rev. 2013 Mar 18 - "Electronic searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, Amed and The Cochrane Library ... A meta-analysis of 11 studies showed a statistically significant difference in weight loss favouring chromium over placebo (mean difference (MD): -0.50 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.97, -0.03). There was a high statistical heterogeneity. Adverse events included watery stools, vertigo, headaches and urticaria. The evidence from available RCTs shows that chromium supplementation generates statistically significant reductions in body weight"
• Chromium attenuates high-fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in KK/HlJ mice - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 May 27 - "Chromium supplementation prevented progression of NAFLD and the beneficial effects were accompanied by reduction of hepatic triglyceride accumulation, elevation of hepatic lipid catabolic enzyme, improvement of glucose and lipid metabolism, suppression of inflammation as well as resolution of oxidative stress, probably through enhancement of insulin signaling. Our findings suggest that chromium could serve as a hepatoprotective agent against NAFLD"
• Improved cognitive-cerebral function in older adults with chromium supplementation - Nutr Neurosci. 2010 Jun;13(3):116-22 - "In a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 26 older adults to receive either chromium picolinate (CrPic) or placebo for 12 weeks ... Although learning rate and retention were not enhanced by CrPic supplementation, we observed reduced semantic interference on learning, recall, and recognition memory tasks. In addition, fMRI indicated comparatively increased activation for the CrPic subjects in right thalamic, right temporal, right posterior parietal, and bifrontal regions. These findings suggest that supplementation with CrPic can enhance cognitive inhibitory control and cerebral function in older adults at risk for neurodegeneration"
• Phenotype of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus may determine clinical response to chromium supplementation - Metabolism. 2007 Dec;56(12):1652-5 - "Sixty-three percent of the subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus responded to the Cr treatment as compared with 30% with placebo ... Subject phenotype appears to be very important when assessing the clinical response to Cr because baseline insulin sensitivity was found to account for nearly 40% of the variance in the clinical response to Cr"
• Effect of Chromium Supplementation on Glucose Metabolism and Lipids: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials - Diabetes Care. 2007 May 22 - "There was no benefit in individuals without diabetes ... Chromium supplementation significantly improved glycemia among patients with diabetes"
• The Effect of Chromium Picolinate and Biotin Supplementation on Glycemic Control in Poorly Controlled Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blinded, Randomized Trial - Diabetes Technol Ther. 2006 Dec;8(6):636-643 - "randomized to receive 600 microg of chromium as chromium picolinate and biotin (2 mg/day) ... supplementation with a combination of chromium picolinate and biotin in poorly controlled patients with diabetes receiving antidiabetic therapy improved glucose management and several lipid measurements. Chromium picolinate/ biotin supplementation may represent an effective adjunctive nutritional therapy to people with poorly controlled diabetes with the potential for improving lipid metabolism"
• Chromium picolinate supplementation attenuates body weight gain and increases insulin sensitivity in subjects with type 2 diabetes - Diabetes Care. 2006 Aug;29(8):1826-32 - "1,000 mug Cr as CrPic ... CrPic supplementation in subjects with type 2 diabetes who are taking sulfonylurea agents significantly improves insulin sensitivity and glucose control. Further, CrPic supplementation significantly attenuated body weight gain and visceral fat accumulation compared with the placebo group" - See chromium supplements at Amazon.com.
• The influence of chromium chloride-containing milk to glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Metabolism. 2006 Jul;55(7):923-7 - "one group to receive chromium-containing milk powder (chromium 200 mug/20 g milk powder) and the other to receive placebo twice a day for 16 weeks ... The chromium group demonstrated a lower FPG and fasting insulin (-38.1 +/- 9.2 vs 63 +/- 8. 5 mg/dL and -1.7 +/- 0.2 vs 1.9 +/- 0.3 muU/mL, respectively"
• Effect of chromium on the insulin resistance in patients with type II diabetes mellitus - Folia Med (Plovdiv). 2005;47(3-4):59-62 - "We found a significant decrease of the immune-reactive insulin and the insulin resistance index after a two-month application of chromium 30 microg daily (1 tablet of chrome picolinate) ... Chromium included early in the complex therapy of diabetes is beneficial in the reduction of the degree of insulin resistance"
• Effect of chromium supplementation on blood glucose and lipid levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus elderly patients - Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2004 May;74(3):178-82 - "study group received 200 microg of chromium twice a day for a three-week period ... Significant differences in the fasting blood level of glucose compared to the baseline (190 mg/dL vs 150 mg/dL, p < 0.001) were found at the end of the study. HbA1c also improved from 8.2% to 7.6% (p < 0.01). Total cholesterol was also reduced from 235 mg/dL to 213 mg/dL (p < 0.02). A trend towards lowered triglyceride levels was also observed (152 mg/dL vs 136 mg/dL)"