Chromium picolinate

[chrestomanci]

Hi there,
I wondered if anyone supplements with chromium and if anyone has been helped by it? Supposedly helps blood glucose control. A friend just bought me some so I thought I'd try it.

 

[ert]

I take chromium, biotin, B12, B6, Vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C and fish oil supplements. Do they help? I wish I knew. They don't hurt.

 

[Guzzler]

Are you deficient in anything?

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I took the view that if I was deficient in something then I might not know that. Other people keep recommending supplements etc. but often don't say what the problem was that made them take them. I decided to test something out.

I bought some stuff (including chromium) from a well known supplier and took each one for a two week period. The idea was that if I suddenly felt wonderful then I must have been missing something. I never felt any difference at any time during the test and therefore stopped buying supplements. Maybe if I had a problem to start with there would have been a different result but I didn't have a specific problem. I wondered if they worked better as a placebo or were of genuine help.

 

[Brunneria]

The media has been recommending Chromium to help with glycaemic control in people with polycystic ovary symdrome for over 30 years - to improve glucose regulation.

Since I have PCOS, I have, at various times during those three decades, I have bought some Chromium Picolinate and tried it.

Have never noticed any benefits... but that doesn't mean to say that someone else wouldn't benefit.

 

[chrestomanci]

I found this interesting:
A scientific review: the role of chromium in insulin resistance.
Diabetes Educ. 2004;Suppl:2-14.
Abstract
Chromium is an essential mineral that appears to have a beneficial role in the regulation of insulin action and its effects on carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism. Chromium is an important factor for enhancing insulin activity. Studies show that people with type 2 diabetes have lower blood levels of chromium than those without the disease. Insulin resistance is the common denominator in a cluster of cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Insulin resistance is present in two serious health problems in women; polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and gestational diabetes. Several studies have now demonstrated that chromium supplements enhance the metabolic action of insulin and lower some of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, particularly in overweight individuals. Chromium picolinate, specifically, has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Dietary chromium is poorly absorbed. Chromium levels decrease with age. Supplements containing 200-1,000 mcg chromium as chromium picolinate a day have been found to improve blood glucose control. Chromium picolinate is the most efficacious form of chromium supplementation.

Guess I'll give it a whirl then!

 

[Atad heavy]

The nutritionist at the gym suggested this might benefit me, I took them for 2 months & noticed how much softer my skin was, also my nails were definitely stronger than they were.