My sister is a Type 2 diabetic and have been since 1987 and is now on the atkins plan. She is wondering if any one has any success with chromium picolinate? She was reading in Dr. Atkins new revolutionary diet that it will help with diabetes and muscle loss. I am doing research on the internet but I thought I would love to hear from my friends first.

Hi Donna, Thanks for replying to me. I was reading your bio and see you enjoy crafts. I like them too, but for the most part have no time for them. I've finished a small quilt for my sister who is Ohio and have promised to do one for my other family members, but don't have alot of time for that either. However, now is a great time to work on them, cuz' when it's pretty outside, that's where you'll find me. I wish I was down to the weight you're at. It wouldn't seem like such a long way to reach my goal. Hopefully, I'll get there. Have a great day, and like you say, one day at a time. Until next time,


Bye.......................Carol

hi Donna,

Chromium supposedly improves the ability of insulin to move sugar out of the blood and into the cell where it's used for energy. Combined with a careful low carb diet, it could be helpful for Type 2 diabetes. I'd be cautious though, if your sister is taking any kind of medication for her diabetes .. since the combined effects could lead to hypoglycemia (too LOW blood sugar). Actually, even without chromium, a low carb diet alone should bring about a lowering of blood sugar and insulin levels to the point where medications may need to be reduced or even discontinued ... definitely needs a dr's supervision.

As for fat loss, there are a handful of studies that "suggest" chromium might have a benefit. I suspect this has to do with its ability to improve insulin sensitivity, therefore less insulin gets dumped into the bloodstream. Insulin stimulates fat-storage, and inhibits fat-burning ... if there's less insulin circulating, then fat-burning would be improved.

You can read some good, research-based info. about chromium at Healthwell.com

Doreen

Hi, There is a good book on Chromium Picolinate, "Everything You Need To Know", by Dr. Gary Evans. I purchased this book and started following the program for the weight loss about 2 years ago when I was trying to lose weight. I have been on the chromium now for 2 years religously. It does help with the blood sugars and I know this for a fact, because two years ago, even though I was taking it, we had alot of company that summer, and I missed a few doses, or I would take one pill and not the next. I had my blood profile done then in September (after all relation had left), and my blood glucose was high - even after fasting. So, this year I made sure I had taken my chromium each day (400-600 mcg), and my blood glucose was back down where it should be. But it also shows me I need to stay on the chromium for the rest of my life.
The main thing is to talk to your Dr. before starting any supplements, especially if you are on prescription meds.

Hi Donna:

My sugar level goes up if I don't use Chromium picolinate. In fact, I find that if I'm taking 300 mg. per day, after about 2 months, I can go off my meds completely.

The other point of interest that I have right now is this new info on cardio vascular excercise and possible total healing of Diabetes. there's a Russian study going on right now and I'm noticing a hush hush about their recent findings. If you hear anything about this please tell me...Razzy

Chromium picolinate has the potential to cause DNA damage, leading to birth defects and cancer, in humans. I'm a chemistry professor and work just down the hall from one of the major metallobiochemistry groups that are studying this. (See, for example, this press release, which is about work published in the prestigious "Proceedings of the National Academy of Science".) This is real, carefully controlled peer-reviewed science funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association.

The problem is not the chromium, it's the picolinate ligand. Picolinate is NOT naturally occurring. (In fact, it's a derivative of the explosive picolinic acid!) It's still not clear how helpful chromium supplements are in controlling blood sugar--that's an area that definitely deserves more research. (And, there are also on-going studies about this, again funded by NIH and ADA.) However, there are other forms of chromium supplements that should be safer than chromium picolinate. For example, chromium polynicotinate (aka GTF chromium) is not known to have the health risks of the picolinate ligand.

That's very interresting Carolyn:

It's just that I've had such good results from using it. Maybe I should check out Chromium GTF.

I guess research is there for a reason.

Thanks, Razzy

The simple carbohydrate inositol (I know, but it doesn't raise my blood sugar - I've checked endlessly) gives me much tighter control. There don't seem to be any known contraindications. It's purported to decrease insulin resistance as well as facilitate insulin production. I take 500mg / day.

Thanks for your comments...

I've certainly never tried inositol. Do you buy it as a vitamin? Sorry that I didn't know about it. Wow! I've never heard that info on Chromium picolinate. It was my favourite! Oh well!!!

I happen to get mine at Great Earth Vitamin Stores only because there's one in the mall near where I work. But inositol is very common and inexpensive (100 500mg tablets for $10-$12). I can't imagine that GNC doesn't carry it.

I bought some supplies at GNC today (20% off week). I got some Inositol 500 (100 tablets) for $9.99 less 20%. I have only used one bottle, so I can't tell anything yet.

That's real bad news about the Chromium. I just bought 5 bottles from Netrition, but I am not planning on having any more children, nor taking the supplement when I achieve goal weight.

It took a few weeks for my sugars to show noticeable average decrease after starting inositol. At least 3. I've also found that if I miss a couple of days, my readings go up quickly.

I'd sure like to know exactly what process is in play here. I'm a little worried that I may be stimulating my pancreas with it much as a sulfonylurea might do. I can't find anything on it by searching on the web.

After c6h6o3's first post of inositol, I was curious about how it might affect human glucose metabolism and I also did some web searches. I didn't turn up anything definitive, either.

However, several webpages mentioned inositol's role in the body's calcium storage/release mechanism. WARNING LONG SPECULATON HERE--This made me wonder if inositol could also impact the body's chromium transport system. The reason that I suggest this is because the body's mechanism for moving around and using chromium more closely resembles that of calcium than it does any other metal. The chromium that we eat, which is actually Cr(III), is moved into the cells with chromium transport peptide. (Calcium has its own calcium transport peptide.) Inside the cell walls, Cr(III) binds to the peptide chromodulin (which was, in fact, named after the calcium peptide calmodulin because their mechanisms are so similar). Chromodulin with four chromium ions attached then binds to the beta subunit of the insulin receptor enzyme. This causes the receptor to change its conformation (i.e., shape), which makes it possible for insulin to bind to the alpha subunit of the insulin receptor. This binding "activates" the insulin and it starts metabolizing glucose. This is a rather unique type of "dual-lock and key" mechanism and calcium is the only other common nutrient that is known to be processed by a similar procedure. So, maybe (speculating), inositol affects the chromium/insulin process in a similar matter. If this speculation is true, then inositol's not causing more insulin to be produced but just causing it to be used more effectively.

BTW, one theory on the cause of insulin resistance is that the chromium transport mechanism is breaking down. Perhaps an insulin resistant person doesn't make enough chromodulin and/or enough chromium transport peptide. Most people's standard diet should contain more than enough Cr(III), but the issue may be whether or not it is being utilized adequately. If it isn't, this may in turn be what causes an inadequate utilization of insulin (because without the chromodulin, our insulin just floats around and does nothing!).

Hi CarolynC
That is really interesting information about the biochemistry involved in the transport mechanisms. If you do find out more about inositol in this regard I would really appreciate you posting it!

I did manage to find this. If anyone here can make heads or tails of this, I'd love to hear what it means.

http://www.genome.ad.jp/kegg/pathway/map/map00562.html