EatQOD

Getting more interested in the potential beneficial effects of chromium picolinate. Here is one paper of interest -- from the Journal of Psychiatry Practice: "The results of this study suggest that the main effect of chromium was on carbohydrate craving and appetite regulation in depressed patients and that 600 mug of elemental chromium may be beneficial for patients with atypical depression who also have severe carbohydrate craving. Further studies are needed to evaluate chromium in depressed patients specifically selected for symptoms of increased appetite and carbohydrate craving as well as to determine whether a higher dose of chromium would have an effect on mood."

See this link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... med_docsum

Here's another great paper - a more general discussion. Where does chromium come from? What are it's effects in people with type 2 DM?

From the Anderson paper:
Beneficial effects of Cr are not limited to patients on TPN. Children, the elderly, people with Type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), as well as those with low blood sugar, have all been shown to display positive effects in response to supplemental Cr (Table 1). In addition to humans, beneficial effects of supplemental Cr have been observed in rats, mice, squirrel monkeys, guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, pigs, cattle, and horses.

Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 17, No. 6, 548-555 (1998)
Published by the American College of Nutrition
Chromium, Glucose Intolerance and Diabetes
Richard A. Anderson, PhD, FACN

http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/17/6/548

Case report due to kidney failure - interstitial nephritis.

http://annals.org/cgi/content/full/126/5/410-a

Wasser et al.
Chromium supplementation has recently been advocated for preventing dietary deficiency, reducing body fat, and increasing muscular mass and strength [1]. We describe a patient who developed renal failure after using over-the-counter, oral chromium picolinate, 600 µg daily for 6 weeks, for weight reduction.

A renal biopsy done on 25 January 1996 showed results consistent with severe chronic active interstitial nephritis. Prednisone, 60 mg, was administered; after 2 months of therapy, her serum creatinine level decreased to 3.8 mg/dL.

So this is not a benign substance to take lightly!

Well, so much for chromium...

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/co ... t/29/3/521

Paper in March isssue of Diabetes Care:

Nanne Kleefstra, Sebastiaan T. Houweling, Frank G.A. Jansman, Klaas H. Groenier, Rijk O.B. Gans, Betty Meyboom-de Jong, Stephan J.L. Bakker, and Henk J.G. Bilo

Diabetes Care 2006 29: 521-525.

OBJECTIVE—Chromium treatment has been reported to improve glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in specific populations of patients with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chromium treatment on glycemic control in a Western population of insulin-dependent patients with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In this 6-month double-blind study, patients with an HbA1c (A1C) >8% and insulin requirements of >50 units/day were randomly assigned to receive treatment with placebo or 500 or 1,000 µg chromium daily in the form of chromium picolinate. The primary efficacy parameter was a change in A1C. Secondary end points were changes in lipid profile, BMI, blood pressure, and insulin requirements.

RESULTS—In this per-protocol analysis (n = 46), the decrease in A1C was approximately equal across the three groups (0.4%). All patients had a BMI >25 kg/m2. No differences were found in the secondary end points. We found a weak relationship between an increasing serum chromium concentration and improvement of the lipid profile.

CONCLUSIONS—There is no evidence that high-dose chromium treatment is effective in obese Western patients with type 2 diabetes.

Thank you for posting all the research-based information! I have gotten very sick and tired of most dieting discussion boards, they are full of so much misinformation. I'm glad this is the emphasis on this board!