What Does Chromium Picolinate Do?

If you take a multivitamin pill, you may have noticed "chromium picolinate" listed among the ingredients on the bottle. Certain "trace essential metals" like zinc and selenium are important for nutritional health (and are included in multivitamins to correct deficiencies of these trace metals), but many people don't know what chromium picolinate is supposed to do. Further, the health effects or benefits of this trace metal are disputed by researchers.

Definition

• Used to correct a chromium deficiency, chromium picolinate is made from two separate substances--the metal chromium and a weak acid, picolinic acid. Combining chromium with an acid is a way of keeping the element stable outside the body. Once digested, chromium is more readily taken up by the blood and absorbed by tissue cells.

  It is thought that small quantities of chromium are needed for proper insulin transport of glucose to our cells. Insulin is an important hormone whose role it is to "shuttle" certain chemical nutrients into our body's cells.

Health and Nutritional Claims

• A study in 2002 suggested that chromium picolinate has anti-depressant effects in "atypical depression," but a larger study failed to show this effect conclusively. However, patients in a smaller sampling of this study group seemed to show reduced carbohydrate cravings and better appetite regulation. A follow-up analysis of this same high carbohydrate-craving sub-group indicated that patients given chromium picolinate showed "significant improvement" in their depression symptoms (compared to a placebo pill). Another study showed that chromium picolinate helped to reduce fat cravings, but not carbohydrate cravings.

  Other health or nutritional claims for chromium picolinate by commercial interests include improved muscle development for athletes and improved weight loss. Studies on these effects failed to show improvement in muscle gain or fat loss. Others have claimed chromium picolinate aids in reducing insulin resistance in diabetics, but follow-up study results were mixed.

U.S. Government Review

• In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted a review of the clinical research and concluded that the relationship between chromium picolinate and insulin resistance is "highly uncertain." Today, there remains considerable disagreement among nutrition experts regarding its value in the treatment of diabetes.

Concerns

• There was some initial concern from a 2006 fruit fly study that chromium picolinate might cause damage to DNA. The results showed "chromosomal aberrations," impeded development and lethal mutations in the fruit fly offspring.

  However, a two-year study using rats and mice found no significant impact of chromium picolinate on long-term survival, nor that chromium picolinate is carcinogenic.

Value

• There is disagreement among nutrition scientists as to whether chromium is a "trace essential metal" and there is little scientific evidence of a "biochemical basis" for the need for chromium in the body. Although the recommended daily allowance of the nutrient is just 200 micrograms, studies have shown that chromium picolinate is safe even at high doses. However, when considering taking a nutritional supplement, check first with your doctor.