Nature's Way - Buy Chromium Picolinate, 200 mcg
each pill
Chromium
is an essential part of the GTF (glucose tolerance factor) molecule. GTF is an
important cofactor for insulin in the regulation of blood sugar which is
necessary for proper metabolism.
Nature's Way Chromium Picolinate is 100% natural, patented Chromium
Picolinate. It contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
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Chromium Function and metabolism
The mineral chromium picolinate may help type 2 diabetics better control their blood sugar. Investigaotrs tested whether chromium supplements were useful in combination with a sulfonylurea medication -- an older class of diabetes drugs that often promote weight gain. Diabetics took either the medication plus 1,000 micrograms of chromium picolinate daily or the drug plus a placebo. After several months, those who took the chromium supplement showed better improvements in insulin sensitivity and long-term blood sugar control. They also gained less weight and body fat than those on the drug alone.
Chromium Research depression and
mood disorders
Effectiveness of chromium in atypical depression: a placebo-controlled trial.
Davidson JR,. Duke University Medical
Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Feb 1;53(3):261-4.
Chromium picolinate (CP) has been reported to benefit patients with
symptoms of atypical depression. A placebo-controlled, double-blind,
pilot study of CP was conducted in 15 patients with DSM-IV major depressive
disorder, atypical type. Patients received 600 micro g of CP or matching placebo
(PBO) for 8 weeks. Seven (70%) CP and zero (0%) PBO patients met
responder criteria. Other outcomes were consistent with greater effect
of CP. Three patients on CP failed to show any improvement. Chromium picolinate
was well tolerated. Chromium picolinate shows promising
antidepressant effects in atypical depression. Its mechanism of action may
relate to 5HT2A downregulation, increased insulin sensitivity, or to other
effects.
Diabetes and high blood sugar
Dr. Nanno
Kleefstra from Isala Clinics in Zwolle, and colleagues investigated the effects
of chromium in people with type 2 diabetes residing in a northern region of the
Netherlands. Fifty-seven patients were randomly assigned to take 400 micrograms
of chromium per day or a placebo. After 3 and 6 months of treatment, there were
no differences between the chromium group and the placebo group for fasting
blood glucose levels, long-term control of glucose levels as measured by A1c,
blood pressure, body fat percentage, weight, lipid profile, and how well they
responded to the insulin their bodies produced, the investigators report in the
medical journal Diabetes Care. Diabetes Care, May 2007.
Beneficial effects of chromium in people with type 2 diabetes, and urinary
chromium response to glucose load as a possible indicator of status.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2002 Feb;85(2):97-109. Bahijri SM, Mufti AM.
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
No reliable method for the estimation of chromium (Cr) status is available yet.
The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of using urinary Cr
response to glucose load as an indicator of Cr status. Seventy-eight
non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients, were divided randomly into two
groups and given Cr supplements as brewer's yeast and CrCl3 sequentially with
placebo in between, in a double-blind, crossover design of four stages, each
lasting 8 wk. At the beginning and end of each stage, subjects were weighed,
their dietary data and drug dosage recorded, and blood and urine samples
collected for analysis of glucose and urinary chromium (fasting and 2 h
post-75-g glucose load) and fructosamine. The mean urinary Cr after the glucose
load was significantly higher than the fasting mean at zero time.
However, only 52 of the patients showed an obvious increase; the others showed a
slight decrease or no change. Both supplements caused a significant increase in
the means of urinary Cr and a significant decrease in the means of glucose and fructosamine. Only those subjects responding to Cr supplement by improved
glucose control showed an increase in post-glucose-load urinary Cr over fasting
level, after the supplement but not at zero time. Therefore, it was concluded
that urinary Cr response to glucose load could be used as an indicator of Cr
status.
Availability of Chromium pills
Chromium is available in a variety of dosages and forms, most commonly in 100 or
200 mcg. A dosage of 100 to 200 mcg of chromium could be taken by healthy
individuals a couple of times a week, while those with diabetes may benefit from
taking chromium 3 to 5 times a week. A combination of chromium picolinate and
biotin is found in a patented formula called
Diachrome.
Combination of chromium and
biotin
Combination of Chromium Picolinate and Biotin may Improve Blood Sugar in People
with Type 2 Diabetes
January 8, 2007 -- Nutrition 21, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXXI) today announced the results
of a recent placebo controlled, double-blind, randomized, single center study
that demonstrated that Diachrome, a patented combination of chromium picolinate
and biotin, safely improves blood glucose levels and cholesterol metabolism in
people with type 2 diabetes. The study supports the role of chromium picolinate
plus biotin as a safe and effective nutritional adjunct therapy in diabetes
care.
Chromium Caution, risk? What you
may may have read in the popular press
Chromium picolinate may damage DNA in flruit flies, a
new study shows -
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), a trade association of the dietary supplement
industry, issued an announcement in response to the publication of the study. "The
University of Alabama study, in which fruit flies were given high concentrations of
chromium picolinate, provides no meaningful conclusions that change the weight of the
strong scientific evidence for safety in humans," said Dr. John Hathcock, CRN's vice
president, scientific and international affairs, in the statement. In Hathcock's
review of relevant studies, he found no adverse effects in people taking up to 1,000
micrograms of chromium picolinate per day.
Comments:
High doses of a single mineral given to fruit
flies gives us little clue of what may occur in the humanH body. Nevertheless, there is no
need to take more than 200 mcg of chromium a few times a week, and it's often a good idea to take
breaks from use of most supplements.
Studies Update:
Review of more than 60 human,
animal, and cellular studies conducted over the past 30 years confirms that
chromium picolinate is safe for use as a nutrient supplement in food. The
largest expert review of the complete body of research on the safety of chromium
picolinate is published in the June 2004 issue of Food and Chemical Toxicology. The review was conducted by senior toxicologists and food science experts at
the ENVIRON Health Sciences Institute and describes how chromium picolinate was
determined to be a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)** ingredient in
nutritional bars and beverages. The authors cite the significant body of
evidence conducted by scientists at leading academic institutions, as well as
USDA and the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Toxicology Program. “The
collective research indicates that chromium picolinate is a safe nutritional
supplement,” said study co-author Ronald S. Slesinski, PhD, DABT,
president-elect of the Regulatory & Safety Specialty Section of the Society of
Toxicology and senior science manager at ENVIRON. “The accepted safety trials,
including Ames Tests and chromosome studies conducted by NTP and at independent
testing laboratories, show no evidence of genetic toxicity.”
Hexavalent chromium toxicity
A type of chromium highlighted in the film "
Erin Brockovich " causes cancer in lab animals when they drink it in water and
it could be harmful to people. Hexavalent chromium, also called chromium 6,
already has been shown to cause lung cancer when inhaled and is controlled by
the Environmental Protection Agency as well as by states. It is best known as
the contaminant exposed by campaigner Erin Brockovich, whose battle against a
polluter was dramatized in the May 2000 movie of the same name. High doses of
chromium hexavalent given to rats and mice in drinking water caused malignant
tumors, the two-year study by the NIH's National Toxicology Program or NTP
found. The animals were given much higher doses of chromium than people would
ever encounter in drinking water, which is the usual practice in testing
chemicals for cancer-causing potential. Hexavalent chromium compounds are often
used in electroplating, leather tanning and textile manufacturing and have been
found in some drinking water sources. year. But she said there were potentially
dozens more toxic sites around the country. The lowest doses given to rats and
mice in the study were 10 times higher than what humans could consume from the
most highly contaminated water sources identified at Hinkley.
To investigate chromium status of the adult population in the western region of Saudi
Arabia and the possibility of using serum chromium status measurement as indicator of this
status. The effect of chromium supplement on glucose tolerance and lipid profile
was studied in 44 normal, free living adults. 200mg chromium/day as CrCL3 or a placebo was
given in a double blind cross-over study, with 8 weeks experimental periods.
Improved glucose control, and lipid profile following chromium supplement
suggests the presence of low chromium status in the studied population. However,
serum chromium could not be recommended for use as an indicator of chromium
status as subjects with widely varying levels responded favorably to the
chromium supplement.
Dr. Richard Anderson, USDA researcher from the Human Nutrition Research
Center in Beltsville, MD comments, "Based on decades of extensive scientific
research, I believe that consumers can continue to use chromium picolinate with
confidence. In fact, many of those with insulin resistance are likely to benefit from
chromium supplementation in the picolinate form."
Chromium Supplement emails
Due to recent hair loss / thinning, I have been doing some research on the
newer supplements I have been taking. One of the supplements I have started
taking has high levels of Chromium Picolinate in it so I started to do my
research there; before long discovered that high ingested levels of Chromium can
cause the adrenals to produce higher levels of DHEA so I started to research
DHEA as well. When I found your website, I learned that high levels of DHEA can
cause hair loss and concluded that the 500mcg + a day of Chromium may be causing
my hair loss due to probable increses in DHEA production in my body. The hair
loss is starting to become significant, as I am able to see through my hair and
find more than normal clumps in the drain after a shower. Do you know any
correlation between high levels of Chromium relating to DHEA production
increase? I truly believe the dosage on the (Green Tea Diet) supplement
500mcg-1000mcg chromium a day of chromium is the contributing factor to my
sudden hair loss and have decided to stop taking the supplement.
We are not aware of the clinical significance of the
relationship between excess chromium consumption and DHEA levels and hair loss.
Perhaps high levels of Chromium are influencing hair follicles directly? We are
not sure at this time.
Does chromium interfere with
yohimbe herb? I am trying this supplement for weight loss
since I have
diabetes and I just don't want to have chromium side effects.
We don't think the occasional use of the aphrodisiac herb
will interfere with the mineral supplement.
Is chromium helpful in treating hyperinsulinism.
We are not sure of the exact influence of chromium on insulin
levels, but it appears that some studies show chromium supplement to be helpful
in supporting healthy blood sugar levels.
Are there any obvious interactions between boron mineral supplement and chromium supplement
using them the same day?
Not that we know of, but we don't suggest taking these minerals
daily, so you can alternate their use.
How confident are you of
chromium research helping with
weight loss and chromium supplements being useful for diabetes and blood sugar
control?
It's difficult to say when research studies show conflicting
results. There are many herbs and supplements that are helpful for blood sugar
control and we don't think people should be taking high dosages of this mineral
since chromium side effects could occur with long term use.
I recently read that niacin can raise blood sugar levels.
Keeping that in mind, the Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF) chromium has niacin or
polynicotinate. I thought that chromium was supposed to help with blood sugar
not raise it. What are your thoughts?
We are not sure we understand the question well, when niacin
is given in supplement form to lower triglyceride levels, it is given in dosages
that are many times the daily need.