Q. What does Chromium do for me?
A. Studies have shown that chromium can do the following:
• Decrease body fat
•  Increase muscle mass
•  Improve insulin activity in diabetics
•  Decrease bad cholesterol (LDL) levels while increasing good cholesterol (HDL)

Q.How does chromium do all those good things?
A.The reason chromium is so important is that it has a profound effect on the insulin in your body. Insulin is a hormone that your body secretes after you eat. Insulin then transports glucose through your blood stream to the cells in your body. Glucose is the fuel that lets your body do all its necessary functions - such as burn fat and make muscle mass. The problem is when you do not have enough chromium in your body - your insulin does not work as effectively as possible. This means that glucose is not transported to the cells for energy - and instead it becomes fat. You end up with less energy and more fat build up if insulin is not performing properly. The problem is that very few people get enough chromium in their normal diet. Chromium is found in foods such as brewer's yeast, liver and kidney - and you would need to eat a large amount of these foods every day to get enough chromium in your diet.

Q.Who should take chromium supplements?
A.Chromium is an essential mineral that is hard to get from your standard diet. For this reason almost everyone can stand to benefit from taking a chromium supplement. If you workout chromium can help convert fat into muscle mass. If your diet is high in sugary foods and foods rich in complex carbohydrates - you should definitely think about taking a chromium supplement. Consuming all those sugary foods can eventually lead to your fat cells becoming insulin resistant. Chromium can help prevent this situation. If you are diabetic chromium can be very effective - but you should consult your doctor before taking chromium. The reason is that chromium will have a serious effect on your blood sugar levels and you will need to adjust your medications (insulin injections, etc) accordingly.

Q.What is Chromium Picolinate?
A.Chromium picolinate combines the essential mineral chromium and a chemical called picolinate. In order for Chromium (and other minerals) to be absorbed in our body, it must first be de-energize from its supercharged Ion state. Researchers have found that picolinate is very effective in de-energizing chromium and therefore allowing it to be absorbed into the cells of the body.

Q.What is chromium polynicotinate?
A.Chromium polynicotinate consists of pure niacin-bound chromium, which makes it biologically active form of chromium, which is more absorbable in the body identified by United States Government researchers as the active component of true GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor). GTF is responsible for binding insulin to cell membrane receptor sites. Chromium polynicotinate has been shown to possess greater biological activity than other chromium supplements. Chromium is a trace mineral that adds a hormone-like regulation to expand efficient carbohydrate metabolism. Since all carbohydrates are eventually reduced in the body to simple glucose (the body's primary source of energy), Chromium polynicotinate provides the go-between action by "plugging" serum glucose from the bloodstream directly to the muscle cell. Chromium is necessary for carbohydrate metabolism, glucose regulation, and energy production. It can also produce anabolic effects, but without side effects.Chromium Polynicotinate (CP) has greater biological activity than other forms of Chromium. CP helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and can be critical to the synthesis of cholesterol, fats and proteins.

Q.Is chromium Picolinate safe?
A.In 1995, a study headed by Diane Stearns, PhD, at Dartmouth College generated controversy about the safety of chromium picolinate. The researchers added high concentrations of chromium picolinate, chromium chloride or chromium nicotinate to hamster cells in culture and found that only chromium picolinate could damage the genetic material of the hamster cells. Since then, other laboratory studies using cell cultures and animals have suggested chromium picolinate causes oxidative stress and DNA damage. In a separate case report, a 24-year-old man who had been taking a supplement containing chromium picolinate for two weeks during his workout sessions developed acute kidney failure. Chromium picolinate was the suspected cause. There are some concerns that chromium picolinate may affect levels of neurotransmitters (substances in the body that transmit nerve impulses). This may potentially be a concern for people with conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Q.Who should take chromium supplements?
A.Chromium is an essential mineral that is hard to get from your standard diet. For this reason almost everyone can stand to benefit from taking a chromium supplement. If you workout chromium can help convert fat into muscle mass. If your diet is high in sugary foods and foods rich in complex carbohydrates - you should definitely think about taking a chromium supplement. Consuming all those sugary foods can eventually lead to your fat cells becoming insulin resistant. Chromium can help prevent this situation. If you are diabetic chromium can be very effective - but you should consult your doctor before taking chromium. The reason is that chromium will have a serious effect on your blood sugar levels and you will need to adjust your medications (insulin injections, etc) accordingly.