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> > Chromium Improves Insulin Sensitivity
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Chromium Improves Insulin Sensitivity
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Source: Pennington Biomedical Research Center A new study published in February's
Journal of Nutrition reports chromium prompts muscles to become more efficient.
Researchers found that daily use of chromium picolinate enhanced muscle sensitivity to
insulin in obese, insulin-resistant rats. Specifically, chromium improved the ability of
insulin, after attaching to muscle cells, to enhance chemical signals in the cell that
promoted blood sugar uptake. The study, funded in part by the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) and conducted by researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center
(PBRC), is the first published study using this animal model to demonstrate chromium's
action in this way.
"Insulin resistance is a condition in which tissues such as fat and muscle in the body
respond poorly to insulin, the major hormone required for glucose metabolism. This
condition is present in pre-diabetic states and continues when a person develops diabetes.
Previous research suggested that supplementation with chromium picolinate may help
improve this condition," said Dr. William Cefalu, investigator and chief of the division of
nutrition and chronic diseases at PBRC. "This animal study is significant because it
suggests a more detailed mechanism of action for chromium on improving insulin
sensitivity in muscle, a major insulin-sensitive tissue."
Chromium is one of the few essential trace minerals for which a specific mechanism of
action had not been completely identified. This study demonstrated that chromium
picolinate helps insulin receptor sites on muscle cells work more efficiently. Insulin
receptors on the outer part of a cell allow the cell to bind with insulin in the blood. When
the cell and insulin bind, signals within the cell activate "glucose transporters" so that the
cell can then take up glucose from the blood and use it for energy. The result was a
significantly improved rate at which muscles absorbed glucose from the blood and
metabolized it. Impaired insulin action, in the obese rats used in this study, was partially
restored with chromium supplementation. In a control group of lean, healthy rats with no
abnormalities, chromium supplementation exhibited no observable additional effect on
insulin receptor activity.
The study also found that obese, insulin resistant rats treated with chromium picolinate
had improved triglyceride and total high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratios.
These findings support previous research demonstrating chromium picolinate's potential
benefits in reducing cardiovascular risk factors in subjects exhibiting insulin resistance.
"These results add to a growing body of evidence, but more importantly provide a
cellular mechanism to explain the effects of chromium picolinate on carbohydrate
metabolism," added Dr. Cefalu. Ongoing research at PBRC is now focusing on the effect
of chromium picolinate on cellular proteins associated with insulin function.
About Chromium. Chromium is an essential mineral that is needed for insulin activity in
carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. In August 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) allowed a qualified health claim for chromium picolinate, and
confirmed its' safety. The FDA's ruling was based on the findings of an earlier
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted by Dr. Cefalu that showed
chromium picolinate helps to significantly increase insulin sensitivity in those at high risk
for diabetes.
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