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Chromium Picolinate
Chromium:
Study Confirms That Chromium Picolinate Aids In Body Fat Loss
TARRYTOWN, NY -- June 23, 1998 -- Results of a new double-blind, placebo controlled clinical study published today show that chromium picolinate aids in the loss of body fat, without causing a loss in lean body mass.
In the study, the 122 moderately overweight individuals who took chromium picolinate lost an average of 6.2 pounds of body fat as opposed to only 3.4 pounds in those individuals in the placebo group.
The new research, reported in this month’s issue of Current Therapeutic Research, reinforces results from an earlier clinical trial and demonstrates that chromium picolinate supplementation can play an important role in improving body composition. Body composition is determined by the ratio of fat-free mass versus the amount of fatty tissue in the body.
"The data clearly confirm that supplementation with chromium picolinate can lead to significant improvements in body composition resulting from fat loss, particularly for individuals who may not be as aggressive in making lifestyle changes such as reducing caloric intake or increasing their physical activity," said Gilbert Kaats, PhD, of the Health and Medical Research Foundation in San Antonio and lead investigator in the study.
Subjects involved in the study were provided 400 micrograms of chromium picolinate or placebo daily. Changes in body fat, fat-free mass and weight were measured over a 90-day period. The results of the study demonstrated a statistically-significant reduction in body fat (and fat mass) in those individuals who took chromium picolinate, without losing any valuable lean body mass.
"It has been proposed that chromium picolinate's positive effect on body composition is through its ability to improve insulin utilisation, thereby reducing fat deposition and resulting in improving entry of glucose and amino acids into muscle cells," the researchers write. "Although this study did not attempt to test this assertion, the findings are consistent with this hypothesis."
Chromium picolinate's ability to improve glucose utilisation was also the subject of presentations and discussion at the recent International Symposium on the Health Effects of Dietary Chromium sponsored by the Tufts University School of Medicine, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Chromium Information Bureau, held in Dedham, MA.
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