One of the chromium compounds is included in the composition of animal and plant organisms, being responsible for exchange of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Another one possesses high toxicity and is classified as strong carcinogen. The trivalent chromium is actively used in pharmacology, nutraceutics, and dietetics, people only seek to protect themselves from the hexavalent one.
Nutritionists recommend using trivalent chromium for weight loss: it accelerates lipolysis, stabilizes insulin, and lowers cholesterol levels. In short, it participates in biochemical reactions leading to weight loss. It is a part of many vitamin complexes, is a basis for many dietary supplements, and is also found in some foods. Increasing its intake will accelerate fat burning.
Mechanism of weight loss
Supplements containing chromium have become the leaders of sales lately. Producers claim that they are the strongest fat burners, help fight gluttony and craving for sweets, and are a real find for sportsmen, times accelerating muscle growth. Is that so?
It is scientifically proven that this microelement, directly affecting insulin:
- reduces a feeling of hunger, which allows reducing portion size and to refuse overeating;
- reduces craving for sweets;
- accelerates splitting of carbohydrates and their transformation into energy which is spent instead of being put away “for later”;
- activates lipolysis which allows burning organism’s fats and their release;
- participates in protein metabolism, retains muscles, forcing the organism to burn fat not muscle fibers.
So, scientific basis for losing weight due to chromium does exist; its benefit is beyond any doubt. This is confirmed by multiple positive reviews. However, there are several nuances worth knowing about beforehand.
Insulin stabilization is scientifically proven chromium’s property, but the mechanism of its action has not been clear yet. According to one of the theories, it increases the sensitivity of receptors which react to this hormone. Another theory suggests that it accelerates cellular processes transmitting signals to insulin. It would seem, what’s the difference, because the result is the most important thing for the one who wants to lose weight? Unfortunately.
In the first case, receptors may be overexcited, which may result in intracell disorders. As a result, there will be many more side effects and contraindications, and the result will be less pronounced. The second assumption makes chromium an ideal means for losing weight. However, this has not been scientifically proven yet.
But sportsmen will be disappointed, and this fact has been scientifically proven. Bodybuilders took part in the experiments. For some time, they took dietary supplements with chromium as an anabolic agent. No increase in muscle growth has been detected. However, there were also critics whose opinion should be taken into account: the results were indeed not quite correct, because bodybuilders took only therapeutic doses of the microelement, while under intensive physical activities its need increases significantly.
In order for chromium-containing dietary supplements to help lose weight, physical activity and diet restrictions are necessary. Without diet and sports, they are ineffective.
Fun fact. The name of this element comes from the Greek “χρῶμα”, which means “color, paint”. This is due to various color of its compounds: double oxide is black, hydroxide is yellow, trivalent is mainly green, and hexavalent is red.
Beneficial properties
Simultaneously with losing weight with the help of chromium, you can also improve your health if there are certain problems.
A large-scale study was conducted in the middle of the 20th century, which found out that patients with lack of this microelement have impaired glucose tolerance, as a result of which diabetes II develops gradually. It was decided to prescribe chromium-containing supplements to people from the risk group according to the study results. There was only one problem for scientists: methods of determining the level of this element in the organism are not very reliable and don’t reflect the real picture.
Chromium has other beneficial properties besides diabetes prevention:
- it provides healthy genetic heredity;
- it accelerates tissue regeneration;
- it normalizes thyroid gland function and compensates for the deficiency of iodine in the organism;
- it helps fight atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, regulating the level of cholesterol in blood;
- it strengthens the bones, which forms the basis of osteoporosis prevention;
- it lowers blood pressure, due to which it can be prescribed for hypertension;
- it removes toxins and salts of heavy metals from the organism;
- it improves digestion;
- it treats central nervous system problems: depression, anxiety, insomnia, and neurosis.
This is the conclusion: if many dietary supplements for losing weight are contraindicated in case of diabetes and hypertension, then chromium-containing ones are allowed and even improve their course.
Very often, chromium in dietary supplements is not in its pure form, but in the form of its picolinate (compound with picolinic acid). Among other things, it provides the following beneficial properties to these additives:
- it reduces nervousness;
- it increases strength and endurance;
- it prevents muscle cramps after intensive trainings;
- it prevents glaucoma;
- it slows premature aging.
Chromium-based dietary supplements
Since chromium remains an insufficiently studied substance, the attitude towards it in pharmacology is very cautious. You won’t find any medicines based on it in pharmacies – only dietary supplements. This is mainly due to the fact that scientists in America published data from preliminary studies which proves that this element causes gene mutations at the chromosome level. These data need confirmation, therefore it is not included in the composition of medicines. Even to patients with diabetes chromium is prescribed only as dietary supplements.
Despite many frightening myths, the supplements with it are in high demand. According to statistics, their annual sales constitute more than 85 million US dollars. The most frequent active substances in them are chromium chloride, nicotinate, picolinate, citrate.
The most popular is picolinate chromium. It is its compound with picolinic acid. Name, form of release, producers, and prices may vary:
- Drops for oral use. 50 ml. Various producers. 2.7 US dollars.
- Fat-X. Drops. Metal of life (Russia). 50 ml. 4.6 US dollars.
- Chromium Picolinate Tablets – weight loss pills of the “Yeast Free Series” from Nature’s Bounty (USA). 100 pcs. 9.6 US dollars.
- Picolinate Turbo Slim – domestic dietary supplement in capsules. Evalar (Russia). 90 pcs. 10.3 US dollars.
- Chromium Picolinate – vitamins from the popular American company Solgar. 90 pcs. 15.7 US dollars.
- Picolinate – fat burner. Ironman (Russia). 30 capsules. 4.8 US dollars.
Chromium based dietary supplements
Other chromium-based dietary supplements:
- Turamin. Russia. 90 capsules. 2 US dollars.
- Healthy Chromium. VitaLine (USA). 100 capsules. 24.8 US dollars.
- GTF Chromium Polynicotinate – polynicotinate. Now Foods (USA). 100 tablets. 16.3 US dollars.
- Chitosan Plus with chitosan. Now Foods (USA). 120 capsules. 18.1 US dollars.
- Chromium Chelate. Nature’s Sunshine Products (USA). 90 tablets. 11.8 US dollars.
- Reglucol with extracts from medicinal plants gymnema and banaba. Santegra (USA). 60 capsules. 22.2 US dollars.
- Khromvital + with eleutherococcus, spirulina, guarana, and caffeine. Vision (Russia). 60 capsules. 31 US dollars
