Chromium Picolinate is a nutritional
supplement being marketed heavily through health food
stores, supplement suppliers, and weight loss fitness
centers. The promoters' claims assert that the supplement
will cause significant and long-term weight loss, increase
metabolic rate, control appetite, reduce serum cholesterol,
regulate blood sugar levels, increase energy and/or
stamina, improve body composition by reducing body fat
and building muscle, and treat and prevent diabetes.This
popular nutritional supplement is a combination of the
element chromium and picolinic acid. Chromium is a naturally-occurring
mineral, trace amounts of which are found in everyday
foods like meat, poultry, fish, and whole-grain breads.
How does Chromium Picolinate Work?
After eating, the human body secretes the hormone
insulin. In general, the primary function of insulin
is to transport glucose to the body's cells in order
to provide energy that facilitates cell functioning.
It is speculated that chromium picolinate works by stimulating
the activity of insulin, thus significantly aiding the
body's glucose and fat metabolism, managing the breakdown
of glucose and fat. The exact mechanisms by which chromium
improves this insulin efficiency are currently unclear;
it has been suggested that chromium somehow works to
increase sensitivity of insulin receptors. However,
because research has yet to produce any definite answers
as to the exact function of chromium picolinate, competing
theories about its precise effects exist. Some claim
that that the improved insulin efficiency causes an
increase in the production of seratonin, which subsequently
reduces appetite. Still others assert that chromium
can regulate the fat-production processes in the body,
preventing excess fat from forming. One hypothesis states
that chromium picolinate increases protein synthesis,
which in turn stimulates muscle growth. Heavy marketing
of chromium picolinate as a dietary aid focuses on chromium
picolinate's reputed ability to reduce the body's fat
stores while conserving lean muscle mass .
Chromium Picolinate is a common ingredient in many
herbal weight-loss concoctions readily available for
over-the-counter sale at the local drugstore or on the
internet. Chromium Picolinate is a nutritional supplement
rather than a prescription drug. Chromium Picolinate
is sometimes promoted as products that have the ability
to even out levels of sugar in the blood while enhancing
the body's fat burning metabolism. |
