What you will find on this page:
Chromium supplement - many diabetics may find 100 to 400 mcg a day helpful, but extended use of chromium picolinate should be done with medical supervision since long term side effects of high dose chromium use is not fully known.
MultiVit Rx with chromium - comprehensive doctor-formulated daily vitamin and mineral supplement.
Diet Rx for appetite suppression.

By 1948, chromium was recognized as a consistent component of plants and animals. In 1954, chromium was found to enhance the synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids from acetate. In 1959, trivalent chromium was identified as the active component of the "glucose tolerance factor," which alleviated the impaired glucose tolerance in rats fed diets inadequate in chromium. In the 1960s, reports indicated that chromium was involved with blood sugar control.

Chromium Picolinate 200 mcg
Chromium is an essential part of the GTF (glucose tolerance factor) molecule. GTF is an important cofactor for insulin in the regulation of blood sugar which is necessary for proper metabolism.

This product is 100% natural, patented Chromium Picolinate. It contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives.


 

Click here to buy Chromium supplement, FREE Diet Rx sample bottle, MultiVit Rx, or to sign up to a highly respected and FREE newsletter

Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email a brief abstract of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics, including chromium picolinate and diabetes, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Supplement Facts
Chromium - 200 mcg - 167% Daily value
   (as Chromium Picolinate)

Recommended Dosage: Take one chromium picolinate capsule a few times a week with a meal. More chromium picolinate may be taken if approved by your health care provider.

MultiVit Rx High Quality Daily Vitamins and Minerals
Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Manufactured by a FDA-approved and GMP-certified facility.
Vitamin A
Vitamin C with Rose hips (ascorbic acid)
Vitamin D
Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols)
Vitamin B-1 (thiamine hcl)
Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin)
Niacinamide
Vitamin B-6
Folic acid
Vitamin B12
Biotin
Pantothenic acid (d-calcium pantothenate)
Calcium (citrate)
Iodine (potassium iodine)
Magnesium (oxide)
Zinc (oxide)
Selenium (amino acid chelate)
Copper (amino acid chelate)
Manganese (carbonate)
Chromium (amino acid chelate)
Molybdenum (amino acid chelate)
Potassium (carbonate)
Green Tea (leaves)
N-Aceytl-L-Cysteine
Inositol
PABA (para aminobenzoic acid)
Rutin - 30 mg
Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex
Choline (bitartrate)
Betaine (HCI)
Lycopene (from tomato)
Lutein (from marigold extract)
Astaxanthin
Zeaxanthin
Octacosanol

Chromium Function
Chromium is generally accepted as an essential mineral that enhances insulin action and thus influences carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. In August 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed a qualified health claim for chromium picolinate. The FDA's ruling was based on the findings that chromium picolinate helps to increase insulin sensitivity in those at high risk for diabetes. Recent studies indicate that chromium picolinate may be helpful for those who have diabetes, although not all studies have come to the same conclusion.

Diet Rx with Chromium picolinate
If you would like to eat less, consider a product called Diet Rx. This natural appetite suppressant works without stimulants. Diet Rx has no added caffeine, ephedra, ephedrine alkaloids, synephrine, hormones, guarana, ginseng, or stimulating amino acids.

Benefits of Diet Rx with chromium picolinate
All natural appetite suppressant, decreases appetite so you eat less
Helps you maintain healthy blood sugar levels
Helps you maintain healthy cholesterol and lipid levels
Provides a variety of antioxidant from two dozen herbs and nutrients
Provides healthy fiber
Improves energy
Balances mood
Improves mental concentration and focus
Improves will power and choice of food selection

August 2006 Chromium Picolinate Study
Chromium picolinate may help people with type 2 diabetes better control their blood sugar, and possibly avoid the weight gain that comes with certain diabetes drugs. For their study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, researchers tested whether chromium picolinate supplements were useful in combination with a sulfonylurea medication -- an older class of diabetes drugs that often spur weight gain. The researchers randomly assigned 29 diabetic adults to take either the medication plus 1,000 micrograms of chromium picolinate per day or the drug plus a placebo (sugar pill) for 6 months. Study participants who took the chromium picolinate supplement showed greater improvements in insulin sensitivity and long-term blood sugar control. They also gained less weight and body fat than those on the medication alone.

Chromium picolinate supplementation attenuates body weight gain and increases insulin sensitivity in subjects with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Care. 2006 Aug;29(8):1826-32. Martin J,  Wang ZQ, Zhang XH, Wachtel D, Volaufova J, Matthews DE, Cefalu WT. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Vermont, Burlington, USA.
Thirty-seven subjects with type 2 diabetes were evaluated. After baseline, subjects were placed on a sulfonylurea (glipizide gastrointestinal therapeutic system 5 mg/day) with placebo for 3 months. Subjects were then randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive either the sulfonylurea plus placebo (n = 12) or the sulfonylurea plus 1,000 microg Cr as CrPic (n = 17) for 6 months. Body composition, insulin sensitivity, and glycemic control were determined at baseline, end of the 3-month single-blind placebo phase, and end of study. Subjects randomized to sulfonylurea/placebo, as opposed to those randomized to sulfonylurea /chromium picolinate, had a significant increase in body weight (2.2 kg vs. 0.9 kg), percent body fat (1.17% vs. 0.12%,), and total abdominal fat (32.5 cm(2), vs. 12.2 cm(2)) from baseline. Subjects randomized to sulfonylurea / chromium picolinate had significant improvements in insulin sensitivity corrected for fat-free mass as opposed to sulfonylurea/placebo. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that chromium picolinate supplementation in subjects with type 2 diabetes who are taking sulfonylurea agents significantly improves insulin sensitivity and glucose control. Further, Chromium picolinate supplementation significantly attenuated body weight gain and visceral fat accumulation compared with the placebo group. Nutrition 21, maker of the Chromax brand, supplied the chromium picolinate supplements.

Chromium Benefits
Chromium supplements may benefit some individuals who have diabetes. A National Institutes of Health study indicates that chromium picolinate supplements enhance insulin sensitivity. Unless dietary trends do an abrupt about-face, the world is heading for a dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes. A good place to start is reducing intake of white flour and sugar. But emerging evidence suggests you should also consider making sure you are ingesting enough chromium. Scientists have long known that chromium is involved in sugar metabolism. Whenever your body mobilizes stored glucose, it requires chromium to do that. Now research is showing that chromium may help diabetic and pre-diabetic patients boost their insulin sensitivity by increasing both the number of insulin receptors on cells and the activity of those receptors.

Chromium for type 1 diabetes
Q. I read with interest your info on chromium and diabetes, but noted that there was no mention of type one diabetes, i.e. insulin dependent diabetes. Is chromium supplementation recommended for type one diabetics?
   A. I have not seen enough human research with chromium supplements as a treatment for type one diabetes to know whether this mineral is of any benefit.

Chromium and Depression
Supplements containing the mineral chromium may be useful in treating some cases of depression -- particularly when carbohydrate craving is a prominent symptom. A study, of 113 people with a disorder known as atypical depression, found that although chromium picolinate supplements were no more effective than an inactive pill in relieving depression overall, they did appear to aid certain, mainly appetite-related, symptoms. Moreover, a subgroup of patients -- those who said they had "irrepressible cravings" for sweets and starches -- did show a general improvement in depression symptoms after taking the supplement. Exactly why chromium supplements seemed to aid these patients is not completely clear. However, the study authors speculate the improvements in the body's use of insulin, the key hormonal regulator of blood sugar, may be the reason.

Availability of Chromium
Chromium is available in a variety of dosages and forms, most commonly in 100 or 200 mcg. A dosage of 100 to 200 mcg of chromium could be taken by healthy individuals a couple of times a week, while those with diabetes may benefit from taking chromium 3 to 5 times a week. 

Chromium in Food
Since we need only trace amounts of chromium, it should be easy to get enough from the diet. Yet many of us are falling short—perhaps because we're eating so many refined carbohydrates. So try consuming more chromium-boosting broccoli, apples and other produce while cutting down on chromium-depleting sugar. As a fallback, consider a supplement of chromium picolinate. The current recommendation is 25 to 35 micrograms a day, but trials have used 100 to 200 mcg or more.

Chromium blood level
Chromium is better measured in toenail clippings because this provides a better indication of levels on a long-term basis compared with measurement of blood levels.

Chromium picolinate side effects
No major short term side effects have been reported with chromium picolinate. High doses may cause nausea or other gastrointestinal disturbances. High dose long term use of chromium picolinate may have side effects that we currently do not fully understand.

Chromium and Heart Attack
Low body levels of chromium, a mineral involved in carbohydrate and fat metabolism, are associated with an increased risk of heart attack. Chromium deficiency leads to blood sugar problems that cannot be controlled with insulin, but the association of chromium intake with heart-related outcomes is largely unknown. Dr. Eliseo Guallar from the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research in Baltimore, and colleagues measured chromium levels in 684 men who survived a heart attack and in a similar number of men who'd never experienced one.
Chromium levels were lower among older individuals, declining about 9 percent with each decade increase of age. Levels were also lower in those with high blood pressure. Chromium levels were also 13-percent lower in heart attack patients than in comparison subjects, the researchers note. Further analysis showed that subjects with the highest levels were 35-percent less likely to have a heart attack than those with the lowest levels.

Chromium Picolinate and Insulin Resistance, the FDA viewpoint
In August, 2005, FDA issued a decision letter for a qualified health claim for the relationship between chromium picolinate and a reduced risk of insulin resistance:: "One small study suggests that chromium picolinate may reduce the risk of insulin resistance, and therefore possibly may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. FDA concludes, however, that the existence of such a relationship between chromium picolinate and either insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes is highly uncertain."

Chromium Research studies
Antioxidant effects of chromium supplementation with type 2 diabetes mellitus and euglycemic subjects.
J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Mar 10;52(5):1385-9.
To determine the effects of chromium supplementations on oxidative stress of type 2 diabetes and euglycemic (EU) subjects, adult having HbA(1C) values of <6.0% (EU), 6.8-8.5% (mildly hyperglycemic, MH), and >8.5% (severely hyperglycemic, SH) were supplemented for 6 months with 1000 microg/day of chromium (as Cr yeast) or with a placebo. In the beginning, the levels of the plasma chromium in the MH and SH groups were 25-30% lower than those of the EU subjects. The values of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total antioxidative status (TAS) of the MH and SH groups were significantly higher than those of the EU ones. Following supplementations, the levels of plasma TBARS in the chromium groups of MH and SH groups were significantly decreased (the inverse was found in the EU) and showed no significant changes in the placebo group. The levels of plasma TAS in the chromium groups of EU and MH were significantly decreased (the inverse was found in the SH) and showed no significant changes in the placebo group. No significant difference was found in the antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase) activities during supplementations. These data suggest that chromium supplementation was an effective treatment strategy to minimize increased oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients whose HbA(1C) level was >8.5%, and the chromium in EU groups might act as a prooxidant.

Chromium supplementation may be good for the heart in people with type 2 diabetes. It appears to lead to a shortening of a harmful heart rhythm, which may lower cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetics. The heart rhythm disturbance known as a prolonged QT interval has been linked to fatal heart arrhythmias. Therefore, the changes in QT interval observed with chromium supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes may also translate into a survival benefit.

Effectiveness of chromium in atypical depression: a placebo-controlled trial.
Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Feb 1;53(3):261-4.
Chromium picolinate has been reported to benefit patients with symptoms of atypical depression. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, pilot study of Chromium picolinate was conducted in 15 patients with DSM-IV major depressive disorder, atypical type. Patients received 600 micro g of Chromium picolinate or matching placebo (PBO) for 8 weeks. Seven (70%) Chromium picolinate and zero (0%) PBO patients met responder criteria. Other outcomes were consistent with greater effect of Chromium picolinate. Three patients on Chromium picolinate failed to show any improvement. Chromium picolinate was well tolerated. Chromium picolinate shows promising antidepressant effects in atypical depression. Its mechanism of action may relate to 5HT2A downregulation, increased insulin sensitivity, or to other effects.

Chromium picolinate damages DNA in fruit flies?
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), a trade association of the dietary supplement industry, issued an announcement in response to the publication of the study. "The University of Alabama study, in which fruit flies were given high concentrations of chromium picolinate, provides no meaningful conclusions that change the weight of the strong scientific evidence for safety in humans," said Dr. John Hathcock, CRN's vice president, scientific and international affairs, in the statement. In Hathcock's review of relevant studies, he found no adverse effects in people taking up to 1,000 micrograms of chromium picolinate per day.
Dr. Sahelian says: high doses of a single mineral given to fruit flies gives us little clue of what may occur in the human body. Nevertheless, there is no need to take more than 200 mcg of chromium a few times a week, and it's often a good idea to take breaks from use of most supplements.

Research Update: review of more than 60 human, animal, and cellular studies conducted over the past 30 years confirms that chromium picolinate is safe for use as a nutrient supplement in food. The largest expert review of the complete body of research on the safety of chromium picolinate is published in the June 2004 issue of Food and Chemical Toxicology. The review was conducted by senior toxicologists and food science experts at the ENVIRON Health Sciences Institute and describes how chromium picolinate was determined to be a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)** ingredient in nutritional bars and beverages. The authors cite the significant body of evidence conducted by scientists at leading academic institutions, as well as USDA and the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Toxicology Program (NTP).  “The collective research indicates that chromium picolinate is a safe nutritional supplement,” said study co-author Ronald S. Slesinski, PhD, DABT, president-elect of the Regulatory & Safety Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology and senior science manager at ENVIRON.  “The accepted safety trials, including Ames Tests and chromosome studies conducted by NTP and at independent testing laboratories, show no evidence of genetic toxicity.”

Beneficial effects of chromium in people with type 2 diabetes, and urinary chromium response to glucose load as a possible indicator of status.
Bahijri SM, Mufti AM. King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2002 Feb;85(2):97-109.
No reliable method for the estimation of chromium (Cr) status is available yet. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of using urinary Cr response to glucose load as an indicator of Cr status. Seventy-eight non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients, were divided randomly into two groups and given Cr supplements as brewer's yeast and CrCl3 sequentially with placebo in between, in a double-blind, crossover design of four stages, each lasting 8 wk. At the beginning and end of each stage, subjects were weighed, their dietary data and drug dosage recorded, and blood and urine samples collected for analysis of glucose and urinary chromium (fasting and 2 h post-75-g glucose load) and fructosamine. The mean urinary Cr after the glucose load was significantly higher than the fasting mean at zero time (p<0.01). However, only 52 of the patients showed an obvious increase; the others showed a slight decrease or no change. Both supplements caused a significant increase in the means of urinary Cr and a significant decrease in the means of glucose and fructosamine. Only those subjects responding to Cr supplement by improved glucose control showed an increase in post-glucose-load urinary Cr over fasting level, after the supplement but not at zero time. Therefore, it was concluded that urinary Cr response to glucose load could be used as an indicator of Cr status.

To investigate chromium status of the adult population in the western region of Saudi Arabia and the possibility of using serum chromium status measurement as indicator of this status. The effect of chromium supplement on glucose tolerance and lipid profile was studied in 44 normal, free living adults. 200mg chromium/day as CrCL3 or a placebo was given in a double blind cross-over study, with 8 weeks experimental periods. Improved glucose control, and lipid profile following chromium supplement suggests the presence of low chromium status in the studied population. However, serum chromium could not be recommended for use as an indicator of chromium status as subjects with widely varying levels responded favorably to the chromium supplement.

Dr. Richard Anderson, USDA researcher from the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, MD comments, "Based on decades of extensive scientific research, I believe that consumers can continue to use chromium picolinate with confidence. In fact, many of those with insulin resistance are likely to benefit from chromium supplementation in the picolinate form."

Hexavalent Chromium Toxic
Too much hexavalent chromium -- the same chemical at the heart of the movie "Erin Brockovich" -- puts people at risk for lung cancer. The journal Environmental Health reports that industry-commissioned scientists withheld data suggesting even small amounts of the known carcinogen, which is used in the steel, aerospace, electroplating and industries, can be deadly. "We think we have an example in which all of the standard elements of scientific distortion are present: hiding behind the lawyers, statistical manipulation, failure to publish ... all that kind of stuff which comes right out of the tobacco industry playbook," says Dr. Peter Lurie, one of the report's authors.

Chromium picolinate emails
Q. What do you think of chromium polynicotinate
   A. I have not seen as much research regarding this form of chromium, so I don't have a strong opinion of chromium polynicotinate one way or another.

Q. Just need to know if Chromium Picolinate can build up in the body or is it easy processed by the body. I am taking 200 mcg twice a day and 150 mcg in my vitamin tablet. One doctor was worried abou it beoing a metal and building up in the body. I read in he paper that in Isreal they gave 200 mcg twice a day for diabetes any help would be appreciated.
   A. For long term use, it probably would be best to limit the use of chromium to less than 300 mcg a day since it can accumulate. However, different experts may have different thresholds of the upper limit of chromium picolinate supplement dosage.

Q. I am a little confused. Everyone talks about taking the government synthetic product, "chromium picolinate". You yourself even suggest it. If the body waste of chromium is picolinic acid, then why would a person want to take in what the body is trying to get rid of? I myself take GTF (Glutose Tolerance Factor) Chromium. A natural chromium. How do you feel about this?
   A. I have not come across enough long term studies on humans regarding different forms of chromium to know which is best in the long run. In the meantime, I am comfortable using different forms of chromium until more research is available indicating the best form.

Q. What is the difference between trivalent chromium and chromium picolinate?
   A. The two most common forms of chromium in the body are trivalent chromium (III) and hexavalent chromium (VI). Chromium supplements come in many forms, never as pure chromium. Chromium is sold as chromium picolinate, chromium chloride, chromium nicotinate, and high-chromium yeast. Nicotinate and picolinate are more easily absorbed than the others.

Chromium and Muscle Tissue
Daily use of chromium picolinate enhances muscle sensitivity to insulin in obese, insulin-resistant rats. Specifically, chromium improves the ability of insulin, after attaching to muscle cells, to enhance chemical signals in the cell that promoted blood sugar uptake. Chromium picolinate helps insulin receptor sites on muscle cells work more efficiently. Insulin receptors on the outer part of a cell allow the cell to bind with insulin in the blood. When the cell and insulin bind, signals within the cell activate "glucose transporters" so that the cell can then take up glucose from the blood and use it for energy. The result is an improved rate at which muscles absorb glucose from the blood and metabolize it.
   In obese rats, Impaired insulin action is partially restored with chromium supplementation. In a control group of lean, healthy rats with no abnormalities, chromium supplementation exhibits no observable additional effect on insulin receptor activity.

Article submitted to Total Health and Wellness magazine
In the last few issues of Total Health and Wellness I discussed natural supplements such as carnitine and pantothenic acid. In this issue I will help explain the benefits of an important mineral called chromium. Common mineral supplements that most Americans are familiar with include calcium and mangnesium, How is chromium involved in health and disease? Are supplements necessary? And if so, how much should one take?
   First let me provide a brief history of chromium. By 1948, chromium was recognized as a consistent component of plants and animals. In 1954, chromium was found to be involved in helping enzymes make cholesterol and fatty acids from a simpler molecule called acetate. In 1959, a form of chromium called 'trivalent chromium' was identified as the active component of the "glucose tolerance factor," which turned out to be a crucial factor in blood sugar metabolism. And, in the 1960s, chromium began to be recognized as a mineral that could help diabetics improve their blood sugar control.

How Does Chromium Work?
Chromium is an essential mineral that is needed for insulin activity in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Chromium is an essential part of the GTF (glucose tolerance factor) molecule. GTF is an important cofactor for insulin in the regulation of blood sugar which is necessary for proper metabolism. In August 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed a qualified health claim for chromium picolinate. The FDA's ruling was based on the findings that chromium picolinate helps to increase insulin sensitivity in those at high risk for diabetes. There are many forms of chromium supplements, and chromium picolinate happens to be a form that has been studied a lot.

Food Sources of Chromium
Since we need only trace amounts of chromium, it should be easy to get enough from the diet. Yet many of us are falling short—perhaps because we're eating so many refined carbohydrates. So try consuming more chromium-boosting whole grains, broccoli, apples, and other produce while cutting down on chromium-depleting sugar. As a fallback, consider a supplement of chromium picolinate.

Chromium and Diabetes
Chromium supplements may benefit some individuals who have diabetes. A National Institutes of Health study indicates that chromium picolinate supplements significantly enhanced insulin sensitivity. Unless dietary trends do an abrupt about-face, the world is heading for a dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes. A good place to start is reducing intake of white flour and sugar. But emerging evidence suggests you should also consider making sure you are ingesting enough chromium. Whenever your body mobilizes stored glucose, it requires chromium to do that. Now research is showing that chromium may help diabetic and pre-diabetic patients boost their insulin sensitivity by increasing both the number of insulin receptors on cells and the activity of those receptors.

Chromium and Depression
Supplements containing the mineral chromium may be useful in treating some cases of depression -- particularly when carbohydrate craving is a prominent symptom. A study, of 113 people with a disorder known as atypical depression, found that although chromium picolinate supplements were no more effective than an inactive pill in relieving depression overall, they did appear to aid certain, mainly appetite-related, symptoms. Moreover, a subgroup of patients -- those who said they had "irrepressible cravings" for sweets and starches -- did show a general improvement in depression symptoms after taking the supplement. Exactly why chromium supplements seemed to aid these patients is not completely clear.

Chromium and Heart Attack
Low body levels of chromium are associated with an increased risk of heart attack. Chromium deficiency leads to blood sugar problems that cannot be controlled with insulin, but the association of chromium intake with heart-related outcomes is largely unknown. Dr. Eliseo Guallar from the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research in Baltimore, and colleagues measured chromium levels in 684 men who survived a heart attack and in a similar number of men who'd never experienced one. Chromium levels were lower among older individuals, declining about 9 percent with each decade increase of age. Levels were also lower in those with high blood pressure. Chromium levels were also 13-percent lower in heart attack patients than in comparison subjects, the researchers note. Further analysis showed that subjects with the highest levels were 35-percent less likely to have a heart attack than those with the lowest levels.

What is the Recommended Daily Intake?
The current recommendation for daily chromium ingestion is 25 to 35 micrograms a day, but trials have used 100 to 200 mcg or more. You can find chromium as part of a multivitamin bottle, or as stand alone supplements in the range of 100 to 200 mcg or more. At this time I don't think taking more than 100 to 200 mcg a day is necessary. As with some minerals or supplements, there is a potential that too high dosages can be counterproductive or harmful. Those with diabetes could take more if their doctor approves.

Chromium side effects
No major short term side effects have been reported with chromium picolinate. High doses may cause nausea or other gastrointestinal disturbances. High dose long term use of chromium picolinate may have side effects that we currently do not fully understand and that is why I prefer people take less than 200 mcg a day with occasional breaks.

Chromium supplement questions
Q. How do i know how much chromium picolinate to take? Should I take 100 mcg a day or 1000 mcg a day?
   A. I tend to be cautious and for the time being would suggest most people with diabetes use a range of 100 to 400 mcg of chromium picolinate a day.

Q. My mother is thinking of taking a chromium supplement, it has many benefits as stated in your site, but my mother is not overweight, and i don't want her to be so thin, is it true that she will lose weight if she takes chromium supplements?
   A. Taking a chromium supplement, by itself, is not likely to lead to weight loss.

Q. When I'm googling a health matter, it's always reassuring to see your name listed because I know I'll get straight, honest answers. I did wonder why you have chromium picolinate rather than chromium polynicotinate. I've read that the latter, being niacin-bound, is more easily assimilated and also is much less toxic than the other form.
   A. As of June 2008, we have not seen any studies that compare the clinical benefit or side effect of chromium picolinate versus chromium polynicotinate. Therefore, at this time, it is premature to make claims that one form of chromium supplement is preferable to another form. As with many mineral supplements, it is a good idea to keep the dosages low and to take frequent breaks from use.

Chromium-induced toxic hepatitis.
Eur J Intern Med. 2002 December. Hospital Garcia de Orta, Av. Torrado Silva, 2800, Almada, Portugal
A clinical case of acute hepatitis in a patient undergoing an alternative medicine weight-reduction regimen is reported. Chromium polynicotinate had been ingested in combination with vegetable extracts over a 5-month period. Liver biopsy was compatible with toxic hepatitis and greatly elevated hepatic chromium levels were found (>10x normal). The clinical picture regressed following suspension of the medication.