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Take Your Pic
Learn how to differentiate types of Chromium
Products
BioActive Nutrients provides Chromium Picolinate products. Here's
why.
- Because chromium has become a very popular supplement, scientists decided
to study the exact chemical makeup of two widely sold types of chromium: 1) chromium picolinate and 2) chromium
nicotinate sold as chromium polynicotinate. The results of this study conducted by CL Broadhurst, WF Schmidt, JB
Reeves, MM Polansky, K Gautschi and RA Anderson with the US Department of Agriculture, are contained in a recent
issue of the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry (1997, Volume 66,
pages 119-130).
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- Chromium picolinate was made in the USDA lab following the method described
in US Patent 4315927 (leased from USDA by Nutrition 21, San Diego
CA). The material produced was a red-colored solid. Using four
different sophisticated chemical techniques, the USDA chemists showed that the chromium atoms and picolinate molecules
were arranged in a definite repeating pattern. Chemists call these crystals. Chromium was strongly connected to
the three picolinates by a nitrogen and an oxygen atom on each of the picolinates. The red color of the symmetrical
crystals was caused by the chromium linking with the nitrogens in the picolinate molecules.
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- One kind of chromium nicotinate (also known as niacin) was made in the
USDA lab by following the method described by US Patent 4954492 (InterHealth
Inc, Concord CA). The material produced was a periwinkle blue-gray,
non-crystalline powder. Chromium polynicotinate (ChromeMate brand) was obtained from InterHealth Inc, Concord CA.
The material was a gray-violet, non-crystalline powder.
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- The chemical studies conducted by the USDA chemists proved that neither
chromium nicotinate made according to the patent nor chromium polynicotinate (ChromeMate brand) obtained directly
from InterHealth is oxygen-coordinated, niacin-bound as claimed in company advertising. When chromium links with
oxygen atoms, green to blue colors are produced. The studies in the USDA lab show that the chromium in the complex
known as chromium polynicotinate is loosely attached to the oxygen in the water molecules, not nicotinic acid.
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- The studies at the USDA prove that chromium picolinate supplements consist
of individual molecules made of chromium linked to three picolinate molecules. These small, individual molecules
can be easily assimilated through the intestine wall. Chromium picolinate is an authentic chelate. Chromium does
not combine with nicotinic acid (niacin). When chromium and nicotinic acid are made in water solution, both the
chromium and the nicotinic acid attach to water molecules and form long chains. These large, cumbersome chains
are not easily absorbed through the intestine.
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- Claims that chromium polynicotinate is absorbed better than chromium
picolinate are unsubstantiated. The one study cited was done by forcing a liquid solution into the stomach of rats
(known as gavage feeding). The study appeared in an abstract that has never been repeated and has never been published
in a referred journal. Dr. Richard Anderson and his colleagues at the USDA showed that chromium picolinate added
to the diet of rats is a very effective supplement (Anderson et
al., Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine, 9: 11-19, 1996).
Furthermore, Dr. Anderson's research team noted that chromium polynicotinate is not absorbed any better than chromium
chloride and not nearly as well as chromium picolinate in humams (Anderson
et al., FASEB Journal, 10: A820, 1996).
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Chromium Picolinate is found in the following BioActive Nutrients products
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Most if not all people concerned with health issues are aware that chromium
is an essential nutrient needed to make insulin work effectively and efficiently. Although there are several different
forms of supplemental chromium available to consumers, chromium picolinate is the only commercially available form
of chromium that is absorbed and utilized by humans according to Dr. Richard Anderson of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
Several years ago, the man who discovered and developed chromium picolinate, Dr. Gary Evans, predicted that chromium
picolinate would one day be the treatment of choice for Type 2 diabetics because it is safe, effective, inexpensive
and not a drug. That prediction has been proven correct in experiments around the world. A few years ago, at a
symposium held at Harvard Medical School in Boston, several prominent researchers in the field of diabetes reported
on astounding results obtained in dozens of experiments with chromium picolinate. The scientists described clinical
studies proving that chromium picolinate is effective for controlling blood sugar in Type 2 diabetics as well as
in females with high blood sugar resulting from gestational diabetes. One scientist at the Boston meeting, Dr.
Merlin Lindemann at the University of Kentucky, reported on his experiments with thousands of pigs. Dr. Lindemann
stated that chromium picolinate added to swine feed resulted in bigger, healthier litters with significantly less
body fat. Have you heard the term, "the other white meat," when referring to pork? Chromium picolinate
supplements are the reason pork producers are now selling leaner meat. And yes, chromium picolinate supplements
are effective in getting rid of and controlling body fat in humans.
More recently, at the 18th International Diabetes Federation Congress held recently in Paris, France, researchers
presented more compelling evidence proving that chromium picolinate is safe and very effective in preventing and
controlling Type 2 diabetes. In a report that confirms what several other groups have previously discovered, researchers
from the Netherlands announced that daily supplementation with 1,000 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate significantly
decreased blood sugar levels in insulin-treated diabetics with poorly controlled diabetes.
In another presentation at the Paris meeting, Dr. William T. Cefalu from the University of Vermont College of Medicine
and former president of the American Diabetic Association, reported that chromium picolinate supplements significantly
increased insulin sensitivity in Type 2 diabetics. Dr. Cefalu, a prominent researcher in the field of diabetes
presented evidence indicating chromium picolinate improves insulin action by activating a muscle enzyme used in
the uptake of glucose from the blood.
Since chromium picolinate was first discovered, scientists have conducted experiments to establish its safety and
efficacy. Over 20 years of study throughout the world has proven that chromium picolinate is indeed a safe and
effective supplement. But, do you need a chromium picolinate supplement? Yes, even if you think you are eating
a healthy diet. Tests have shown that the average diet contains less than 25 mcg of chromium and the chromium that
is in food is generally not absorbed and used properly. Current life styles put everyone at risk for developing
Type 2 diabetes so a daily supplement of at least 400 mcg chromium as chromium picolinate is advisable for everybody.
If you are a Type 2 diabetic and your physician has not given you chromium picolinate for treatment, demand to
know why. If your physician is not aware of chromium picolinate or claims there is no proof of its effectiveness,
either find a new doctor or tell her/him to consult the medical literature. There is no need for a Type 2 diabetic
to be using drugs when an inexpensive nutrient is completely reliable. So, whether or not you are a Type 2 diabetic
or a potential diabetic, take your pic.
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