Information
About Chromium Picolinate
Weight Loss Pills
The Mineral Chromium
An essential mineral, chromium assists
the body in metabolizing fats and carbohydrates, while helping to maintain
proper insulin levels. But while chromium is an essential mineral, chromium
deficiency is rare in the U.S. or western Europe. In recent years, chromium
has been publicized as a weight loss agent and an athletic supplement
for increasing the amount of lean body mass. However, clinical study results
for these uses are inconclusive. Despite this, due to it's role in the
regulation of insulin, chromium supplements (especially chromium picolinate)
have become a popular method of losing weight. But do these supplements
really work?
Does Chromium Picolinate Help You to Lose
Weight?
Yes, say the makers. Chromium Picolinate
helps keep sugar levels balanced between meals so we are less likely to
snack. It may also promote lean body mass and healthy cholesterol levels.
No, say the critics. There's no evidence
that chromium supplements perform as claimed, promote weight loss, or
benefit healthy people. Moreover, there is some recent evidence that chromium
picolinate may actually harm cells.
It seems to be the combination of chromium
and picolinate that's the potential problem, not the chromium alone. In
May, Britain's Food Standards Agency, a food-safety watchdog group set
up by Parliament, concluded that chromium picolinate can potentially cause
cancer, and warned consumers not to take it.
Recent Study of Chromium Picolinate
According to a recent study conducted by
Dr. John Vincent at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, chromium
picolinate enters the cells directly and stays there - where it can cause
problems. In fact, the chromium picolinate reacts with vitamin C and other
antioxidants in the cells to produce a "reduced" form of chromium
capable of causing mutations in DNA, the genetic material. It's the combination
of chromium and picolinate that can produce dangerous compounds - not
the chromium alone.
Chromium Picolinate - Bottom Line
There remains controversy as to how healthy
and effective chromium picolinate is for weight control. More weight loss
studies are needed. Meantime, if you have tried and failed to lose weight
with conventional diet programs, you may care to give chromium picolinate
a try. However, for best weight loss results, remember to combine your
use of chromium picolinate with a healthy diet and exercise program. Diet
pills and weight loss supplements are not yet a substitute for a healthy
lifestyle.
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