Chromium

[Wannabbig]

Does anyone have any comments on Chromium picolinate? I was told it was a good fat burner. thanks

[YellowJ]

It was pulled from the market awhile back for false claims and was proven to have no fitness application as far as fat burning and building lean muscle tissue, its recently been reproduced, but still has to major effects on fat metabolism and building muscle.

[ebon00]

Since the RDA Handbook has suggested that most Americans are deficient in a number of essential nutrients (chromium being one) I think it has merit. Will it actually burn fat (which is the wrong way to look at it anyway)? No, it won't. Can it help with insulin efficiency? Possibly. Can it help curb apetite? Since most hunger these days are deficiency hungers, yes, I believe so. If your body is missing essential nutrients it will go out of its way to obtain them. Since we live in a world of very accesible fast food crap, that's what we grab when we're hungry (if we're John Doe anyway) and that nutrient-starved bull will not overcome the nutrient deficiency. Getting a good mutli vitamin/mineral (a pack, not a one-a-day) and some extra antioxidants and minerals (like chromium) is the first priority. Considering the loss of nutrients from storage/tranportation/cooking of food, it's mindboggling that dieticians can still suggest that a well-rounded diet will supply all the nutrients we need. Hell, NPK fertilizing which has been the norm in Western society for well over 40 years mean that we only get a handful of nutrients (and sub-par levels of those) at best.

[Kitara]

I haven't ever heard it used for fat loss - but a bunch of my friends swear by it for curbing sugar cravings. I personally haven't used it.

[Cougar]

I disagree. I DO agree that if all you eat is fast food, you're going to be missing some nutrients, but that's not true for anyone here.

But first of all, I don't see where you get "most hungers these days are deficiency hungers" at all. What are you basing that on? What deficiencies are you talking about and why do you think they supersede the primary physiological cause of hunger- low blood sugar?

And second of all, our need for minerals like chromium is VERY small. (Speaking of chromium and insulin, that link is drawn from studies on diabetic rats. Extrapolating that effect to a hormonally normal human is a bit of a stretch.) They're called "trace minerals" for a reason- there is no physical need to supplement with them unless it's TOTALLY absent from your environment. For that matter, our need for most vitamins is fairly small as well. The bulk of what you supplement with is eliminated, and a person with a very balanced diet doesn't actually NEED them at all.

[ebon00]

Originally posted by Cougar
And second of all, our need for minerals like chromium is VERY small. (Speaking of chromium and insulin, that link is drawn from studies on diabetic rats. Extrapolating that effect to a hormonally normal human is a bit of a stretch.) They're called "trace minerals" for a reason- there is no physical need to supplement with them unless it's TOTALLY absent from your environment. For that matter, our need for most vitamins is fairly small as well. The bulk of what you supplement with is eliminated, and a person with a very balanced diet doesn't actually NEED them at all.

Intense exercise increases the loss of chroimum from the human body. Although true that it is needed in minute quantities, if you believe the RDA recommendations for sedentary humans apply to those of us who work out hard every week what can I say... it's your health, not mine. If you're not familiar with the depreciation of vitamins/minerals from the plants/soil in the last 40 years then keep on eating. Bottom line is that the fertilizing practices of the Western world is crap. It works to 'feed' the masses, but it doesn't work to truly feed the human machine. Unless you eat truckloads (and I do mean truckloads) of food that's organically grown (no fertilizing except mulch) and include a huge variety in your diet, you're out of luck for most vitamins and minerals. If anyone here believes in the RDA recommendations I strongly urge you to read the RDA Handbook some time (edition doesn't really matter, mine is the 1989 one) and check out how much of the small amounts of vitamins/minerals in food just go down the drain.

[Darrin]

Kitara

I agree... people with 'sweet tooths' are likely to be deficient in the mineral Chromium. It's a little known mineral, but has been proven to assist in the assimilation and digestion of protein, along with other macronutrients.