Chromium Usage

For PCOS, chromium picolinate is mostly used to help with glucose sensitivity.

Read more about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Chromium Picolinate.

Chromium may have some benefit for improving lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides). It appears to help offset the negative effect that beta blockers can have on HDL ("good cholesterol").

Read more about Lipid Disorders and Chromium.

Chromium has principally been studied for its possible benefits in improving blood sugar control in people with diabetes . Several, but not all, studies suggest that people with adult-onset (type 2) diabetes may show some improvement when given appropriate dosages of chromium. ¹ One study suggests that chromium may also be useful for diabetes that occurs during pregnancy . ² In addition, nondiabetic individuals with mildly impaired blood sugar control might attain better control of blood sugar with chromium supplementation. ^{3 4 5} Since mild impairment of blood sugar control is believed to increase risk of heart disease, chromium supplementation might help reduce heart disease rates.

Chromium has been sold as a "fat burner" and is also said to help build muscle tissue. However, most studies evaluating chromium's ability to promote weight loss have not found benefits. ⁶ One study failed to find benefit with a combination of chromium and conjugated linoleic acid . ⁷ Studies evaluating chromium as a performance enhancer or aid to bodybuilding have yielded almost entirely negative results. ⁸ Studies on whether chromium can improve cholesterol levels have returned mixed results. ^{9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16} However, one study suggests that chromium combined with grape seed extract might have a beneficial effect. ¹⁷ In addition, among individuals taking beta-blockers, chromium may raise levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol. ¹⁸ When depression is characterized by rapid mood changes, excessive sleeping and eating, a sense of leaden paralysis, and extreme sensitivity to negative life events, the condition is called “atypical depression.” A very small (15 participants) double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that chromium picolinate might be helpful for this form of depression ; ¹⁹ however, a much larger study failed to find statistically significant benefits. ²⁰ According to some researchers, impaired blood sugar control, high cholesterol, weight gain, and high blood pressure are all part of a bigger picture, called metabolic syndrome , or syndrome X. Since chromium may be helpful for the first three of these conditions, chromium deficiency has been proposed as the cause of syndrome X. However, this has not been proven.

One study failed to find that chromium picolinate at 200 mcg/day can improve symptoms of polycystic ovaries (a common cause of infertility ). ²¹ Chromium has also been proposed as a treatment for acne , migraine headaches , and psoriasis , but there is as yet no real evidence that it works.