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From chromiuminfo.org

Chromium May Improve Body Composition

San Antonio, TX (June 23, 1998)- Dietary supplementation with chromium may lead to significant improvements in body composition in moderately overweight subjects, according to a study reported in Current Therapeutic Research.

The results of new double-blind, placebo controlled clinical study, in which 122 moderately overweight individuals took chromium, showed an average loss of 6.2 pounds of body fat as opposed to only 3.4 pounds in those individuals in the placebo group.

The new research, reported in the June issue of Current Therapeutic Research, reinforces results from an earlier clinical trial and demonstrates that chromium supplementation can play an important role in improving body composition. Body composition is determined by the ratio of fat-free mass versus the amount of fatty tissue in the body.

"The data clearly confirm that supplementation with chromium can lead to significant improvements in body composition resulting from fat loss, particularly for individuals who may not be as aggressive in making lifestyle changes such as reducing caloric intake or increasing their physical activity," says Gilbert Kaats, Ph.D., of the Health and Medical Research Foundation in San Antonio, the lead investigator in the study.

Subjects involved in the study were provided 400 micrograms of chromium or placebo daily. Changes in body fat, fat-free mass, and weight were measured over a 90-day period. The results of the study demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in body fat (and fat mass) in those individuals who took chromium, without losing any valuable lean body mass.

The authors noted, "It has been proposed that chromium's positive effect on body composition is through its ability to improve insulin utilization, thereby reducing fat deposition and resulting in improving entry of glucose and amino acids into muscle cells. Although this study did not attempt to test this assertion, the findings are consistent with this hypothesis."

Chromium's ability to improve glucose utilization was also the subject of presentations and discussion at the recent International Symposium on the Health Effects of Dietary Chromium sponsored by the Tufts University School of Medicine, the US Department of Agriculture, and the Chromium Information Bureau, held in Dedham, Massachusetts.

During the symposium, which drew leading diabetologists, endocrinologists, scientists, and dietitians, Dr. William Cefalu, MD, of the University of Vermont, College of Medicine, presented human data supporting the hypothesis that chromium has the ability to improve insulin action in moderately obese non-diabetic subjects.

"This latest work is important especially since it was conducted among moderately obese individuals who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Cefalu. "The clinical implications of this study with regard to the use of chromium supplementation in pre-diabetic subjects is significant," he concluded.

Dr. Cefalu is currently conducting a trial using chromium as a supplement to oral hypoglycemic agents in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Other researchers who attended the Symposium are also currently conducting separate trials in type 2 diabetic patients.

It is important to note that dietary supplements are not drugs. They are not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, cure, or mitigate a disease. Consumers and patients who are concerned about a particular dietary supplement or nutrition product should consult with a physician, pharmacist, or dietitian before self-medicating.

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