Chromium Picolinate Facts
Chromium picolinate is a nutritional supplement usually marketed for weight loss, muscle building and mood enhancement products intended to optimize the efficiency of insulin in the body.
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What Is It?
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Chromium picolinate is essentially a mixture of chromium and picolinic acid. Picolinic acid is reported to assist in the absorption of chromium in the body.
Chromium Absorption?
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Chromium is naturally present in unprocessed foods, including whole grains, meat and fish. According to Vanderbilt University, the FDA surmised in 1968 that as foods are processed, they lose that natural chromium content. Thus, the FDA set a daily chromium intake recommendation of 130 mcg.
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What Does Insulin Do?
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In the human body, insulin transports glucose to cells. The glucose is then used by cells to create energy. Chromium reportedly increases insulin's ability to transport glucose, thus helping to break down sugar quicker.
The Claims
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While many nutritional supplements tout chromium picolinate's effects on weight loss, neither chromium's mechanism of action for assisting insulin nor chromium picolinate's effectiveness has been demonstrated scientifically.
Buyer Beware
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In the U.S., unlike medicinal products, the FDA does not regulate nutritional supplements. Thus, the claims made in many products containing chromium picolinate are neither policed nor endorsed by the FDA.
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