From chromiuminfo.org
Chromium May
Improve Body Composition
San Antonio, TX
(June 23, 1998)- Dietary supplementation with chromium may
lead to significant improvements in body composition in moderately
overweight subjects, according to a study reported in Current
Therapeutic Research.
The results of
new double-blind, placebo controlled clinical study, in which
122 moderately overweight individuals took chromium, showed
an average loss 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 the June issue of Current Therapeutic Research,
reinforces results from an earlier clinical trial and demonstrates
that chromium 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 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," says Gilbert Kaats,
Ph.D., of the Health and Medical Research Foundation in San
Antonio, the lead investigator in the study.
Subjects involved
in the study were provided 400 micrograms of chromium 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, without losing
any valuable lean body mass.
The authors noted,
"It has been proposed that chromium's positive effect on body
composition is through its ability to improve insulin utilization,
thereby reducing fat deposition and resulting in improving
entry of glucose and amino acids into muscle cells. Although
this study did not attempt to test this assertion, the findings
are consistent with this hypothesis."
Chromium's ability
to improve glucose utilization 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 US Department of Agriculture,
and the Chromium Information Bureau, held in Dedham, Massachusetts.
During the symposium,
which drew leading diabetologists, endocrinologists, scientists,
and dietitians, Dr. William Cefalu, MD, of the University
of Vermont, College of Medicine, presented human data supporting
the hypothesis that chromium has the ability to improve insulin
action in moderately obese non-diabetic subjects.
"This latest work
is important especially since it was conducted among moderately
obese individuals who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes,"
said Dr. Cefalu. "The clinical implications of this study
with regard to the use of chromium supplementation in pre-diabetic
subjects is significant," he concluded.
Dr. Cefalu is currently
conducting a trial using chromium as a supplement to oral
hypoglycemic agents in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Other
researchers who attended the Symposium are also currently
conducting separate trials in type 2 diabetic patients.
It is important
to note that dietary supplements are not drugs. They are not
intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, cure, or mitigate a
disease. Consumers and patients who are concerned about a
particular dietary supplement or nutrition product should
consult with a physician, pharmacist, or dietitian before
self-medicating.
