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The most common reason for an individual to take chromium as a supplement is due to a deficiency in the element, though deficiencies are rare in developed countries. However, there are some other benefits to taking chromium picolinate, including positive results seen in diabetic patients.
In recent years, some commercial producers of health food supplements have begun marketing chromium picolinate as a body development aid for athletes, much like a “natural” steroid, while others have latched onto the product as the latest weight loss phenomenon. However, based on scientific evidence produced in clinical studies, chromium doesn’t have any affect on the gain and loss of muscle and fat respectively. |
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Is Chromium a Beneficial Supplement?
However, while use of this supplement in patients without diabetes shows no correlation between glucose levels or insulin concentration and chromium, in diabetic patients, there is evidence that led many researchers to believe that the substance can reduce insulin resistance, especially for Type I diabetics. Unfortunately, these results are inconclusive, at best, due to the lack of long-term research. Also take note that while chromium may help to decrease blood glucose levels for diabetics, there is no shown benefit (or harm) for hypoglycemic patients who have taken the supplement.
As well, it is important to keep in mind that there is currently quite a debate regarding chromium picolinate side effects for users, though there is not enough evidence of the claims to dispel rumors and debates. Some researchers and physicians are concerned that chromium picolinate could cause serious DNA damage and even mutation, more likely to do so than other forms of trivalent chromium. However, because other studies show that this form of chromium is perfectly safe even in high dosages, these rumors have also temporarily been put to rest.
If you want to get more of this supplement naturally in your diet without worrying about the possible chromium picolinate side effects, you can get plenty of the mineral by eating foods with brewer’s yeast, American cheese, and wheat germ, as well as calf’s liver. The recommended daily value is a mere 50-200 micrograms, easy to get in these fabulous foods.
It is essential that individuals with psychotic or psychiatric problems not take supplements, and in many other cases, it is not a necessary or particularly rational supplement to purchase since you do have several food sources from which chromium can be derived naturally in large enough quantities. However, in areas that are undeveloped or underdeveloped without such food sources, chromium picolinate is a necessary supplement for normal bodily function, especially for the use of natural insulin produced by the pancreas to reduce any resistance to the insulin in burning glucose.
Chromium can be bought over the counter in safe dosages, as long as you follow the instructions included on the package. Just keep in mind that you do not want the side effects of this product to come between you and your current lifestyle, so you should always follow the recommended regimen, as it is based on the instructions given you.
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