What is Chromium Picolinate?
Chromium picolinate combines the essential mineral chromium and a chemical
called picolinate. In order for Chromium (and other minerals) to be absorbed in
our body, it must first be de-energize from its supercharged Ion state.
Researchers have found that picolinate is very effective in de-energizing
chromium and therefore allowing it to be absorbed into the cells of the body.
This is why a chromium picolinate compound is the best way to supplement your
body with chromium.
What does Chromium do for me?
Studies have shown that chromium can do the following:
- Decrease body fat
- Increase muscle mass
- Improve insulin activity in diabetics
- Decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) levels while increasing good cholesterol
(HDL)
How does chromium do all those good
things?
The reason chromium is so important is that it has a profound effect on the
insulin in your body. Insulin is a hormone that your body secretes after you
eat. Insulin then transports glucose through your blood stream to the cells in
your body. Glucose is the fuel that lets your body do all its necessary
functions - such as burn fat and make muscle mass. The problem is when you do
not have enough chromium in your body - your insulin doe not work as effectively
as possible. This means that glucose is not transported to the cells for energy
- and instead it becomes fat. You end up with less energy and more fat build up
if insulin is not performing properly.
The problem is that very few people get enough chromium in their normal diet.
Chromium is found in such foods as brewer's yeast, liver and kidney - and you
would need to eat a large amount of these foods every day to get enough chromium
in your diet.
Can you tell me about some of the studies that have
been done?
A new study in Current Therapy Research found the following:
122 men and women were randomly assigned to receive either 400 mcg of
chromium daily or a placebo. Calories consumed and physical activities were
controled over both groups. After 3 months, it was found that the group that
took chromium lost significantly more weight and bodyfat than the placebo
group - without any loss of muscle. This led the researchers to say that a
daily supplement of chromium "can lead to significant improvements in body
composition." (As reported in All Natural Muscular Development - 3/99 - pg.
31)
A study conducted at Bemidji State University in Minnesota found the
following:
Male athletes were given either 200 mcg of chromium daily or a placebo. After
six weeks, the chromium group gained 44% more lean body mass, as opposed to only
7 percent in the placebo group.
Earl Mindell reports on another study in his
Supplement Bible:
Sedentary overweight people who took chromium for 72 days lost an average of
4.2 fat pounds and gained 1.4 pounds in lean muscle mass. These results were
achieved without cutting calories or exercising!
Who should take chromium supplements?
Chromium is an essential mineral that is hard to get from your standard diet.
For this reason almost everyone can stand to benefit from taking a chromium
supplement. If you workout chromium can help convert fat into muscle mass. If
your diet is high in sugary foods and foods rich in complex carbohydrates - you
should definitely think about taking a chromium supplement. Consuming all those
sugary foods can eventually lead to your fat cells becoming insulin resistant.
Chromium can help prevent this situation.
If you are diabetic chromium can be very effective - but you should
consult your doctor before taking chromium. The reason is that chromium will
have a serious effect on your blood sugar levels and you will need to adjust
your medications (insulin injections, etc) accordingly.
How much chromium should I take?
Studies have shown that 400 mcg per day is a good base level for most adults.
If you are more active or have diabeties you may need more. If you are less
active or over the age of 65 you may be able to get away with 200 mcg per day.
Is chromium picolinate safe?
Yes. There have been many studies that have shown that chromium picolinate is
safe. Any chromium or picolinate that is not used by the body is excreted in
your urine. There is no excess build up in the body. In fact our body makes
picolinate every day. Each day on average we excrete 20 mg of picolinate. If you
take one 400 mcg chromium picolinate tablet a day - you will only absorb about
3.5 mg of picolinate. This means that your body already produces about 6 times
more picolinate a day than you would get from a 400 mcg chromium picolinate
supplement.
Are there any side effects to supplementing with
chromium picolinate?
Usually not. If you are very sensitive to the levels of blood sugar in your
body you may get dizzy when first taking the supplement. This is probably a sign
that you should consult a doctor to determine if you have a blood sugar problem
such as diabeties or hypoglycemia.
Are Chromium Picolinate and Vanadyl Sulfate the
same things?
No. Vanadyl Sulfate works by trying to do the same thing that insulin does.
The idea is that if insulin is so important why not just take a compound that
can do the same things as insulin. While there is some research to show that
Vanadyl Sulfate does a good job of mimicking insulin, it has a dangerous side
effect. If you feed your body something that does the job of insulin - over time
the body might stop producing its own supply of insulin.
Chromium Picolinate just makes the insulin in your body work better.
Why do we recommend Optimum Nutrition Chromium
Picolinate?
Higher Power Chromium Picolinate is a very
high quality and pure product. In addition, it is reasonably priced.
