Updated 12/6/21. One a past episode of the Dr. Oz show, he was talking about the benefits of chromium polynicotinate for diabetes. If you also saw this, you were probably curious –especially if you have diabetes – so let me give you some more info on this issue. The first thing you need to know is that Dr. Oz was likely talking about type II diabetes. Dr. Oz just said “diabetes” in the segment, but I'm pretty sure he meant type II diabetes since this is the type that is most common in America and other industrialized countries. Basically, chromium helps insulin work better. Chromium has also been shown to lower hemoglobin A1C levels, a good indicator of how bad your diabetes is getting. This is why chromium is found in so many supplements as a drugless prescription to help diabetes.
After you are finished reading this, you may want to read my thoughts on whether type II diabetes can be cured, at my other website. I know that's a controversial statement to make. Just take a look at it in case you never heard these words before.
Chromium Polynicotinate vs Chromium Picolinate
If you’ve heard about chromium and diabetes, odds are you’re aware of chromium picolinate. Chromium picolinate is made of chromium and picolinic acid. On the other hand, chromium polynicotinate (say, poly-nick-o-tin-ate) is made up of chromium and niacin. The niacin helps chromium absorption.
The important thing to remember is that it’s not the niacin (or picolinic acid) that helps diabetes. It’s the chromium.
I'm guessing that Dr. Oz suggested that chromium polynicotinate was best for a few reasons.
Reason #1 is that some people think chromium polynicotinate is better absorbed. The better the absorption of the chromium, the better it might help diabetes.
Reason #2 why chromium polynicotinate was mentioned by Dr Oz may have to do with some controversial research in the 1990s that hinted that high doses of chromium picolinate might damage DNA. In theory, this might mean chromium picolinate might cause cancer.
Personally, I don’t feel chromium picolinate causes cancer. If it did, people would be dropping like flies because chromium is in MANY supplements. I've never seen a study that specifically linked chromium supplements to cancer in people so I don’t worry about this too much.
Reason #3 – and this is a biggie – is that one study in the 1990s noted that chromium picolinate caused weight gain in young women who did not exercise.
The other interesting part of this study also found that chromium polynicotinate helped women lose weight. I think this was the main reason Dr. Oz touted the benefits of chromium polynicotinate.
Keep in mind that this is the only study to ever to show that chromium picolinate caused women to gain weight. In addition, the women who got the chromium picolinate did not exercise. This is a problem.
On the other hand, the women who got the chromium polynicotinate lost weight – and they also exercised.
Personally, I think this was a flawed study and as far as I can tell It’s never been replicated (hey college students, this would make a great Masters Thesis project!).
When I was writing my book about supplements, I tried to track down the author of this study but was never able to locate him.
Another reason why Dr. Oz didn’t mention chromium picolinate is that there are many studies that show chromium picolinate does not help weight loss.
This is ironic because almost ALL weight loss supplements contain chromium. For example, see these reviews
Chromium Polynicotinate side effects
Chromium supplements are generally thought to be safe when used by most healthy people in moderation. To reduce side effects start with less than is recommended for the first week.
- In theory, chromium polynicotinate may harm the liver so be careful if you have any liver problems.
- Since chromium can reduce blood sugar levels, it might have an additive effect if you take other diabetes medications. The result might be blood sugar that goes too low. Ask your doctor if you take insulin, metformin or other blood sugar reducing supplements
- Chromium might cause kidney problems so talk to your doctor if you have any kidney issues.
- If you have thyroid problems, don’t take chromium at the same time as Synthroid. Chromium seems to reduce Synthroid levels. This might reduce your metabolic rate.
Does Chromium Lower Blood Sugar?
I personally don’t think there is a significant difference between chromium polynicotinate and other types of chromium supplements when it comes to diabetes. Regardless of what type of chromium you use, please remember to exercise, lose weight if needed, and watch your intake of refined carbohydrates. There is much more evidence that these things help diabetes than chromium polynicotinate.
Here is chromium polynicotinate on Amazon.
What do you think?
Joe,
Thank you so much for your advice. Will defenitely continue with the exercise. Will check out your article about weight loss.
Hi Joe,
At the moment I’m taking Premarin 0.3mg, Cozar Comp 50/12,5mg and Michol 20mg. Went for a check-up at Dis-Chem yesterday and my blood pressure was 140/82, glucose 5.5 and cholesterol down to 5.22.
After following a discussion of a doctor on TV, I want to know if you think the following product will help/be safe to use. He was talking about how chromium will help reduce blood sugar levels/help with absorption, but I can’t remember which one he said is best to use; the picolinate or the polynicotinate.
I also want to lose some weight – I have a hectic life with little time for exercising, but recently forced myself to make time to start: half an hour each for cycling (indoors) and walking 4/5 days a week. The product is Chromium Select from Bioter Health CC: a combination of Vit B6 7.5mg, Magnesium 80mg, Manganese 1mgand Chromium with polynicotinate 100mcg = 1 capsule p/day. Your opinion will be appreciated.
Tx. Linda
Hi Linda, I dont think the chromium will hurt and the exercise you do will help you burn a few more calories than you would if you didn’t exercise. The exercise will also help you keep your muscle mass (remember if we just lose weight/no exercise, about 50% of what we lose is muscle – not good. Muscle helps keep your metabolism going and it also helps keep your blood sugar from getting too high too).
On my personal site Ive written about weight loss supplements and other things that might help
http://www.joe-cannon.com/what-weight-loss-supplements-work/
This will take time Linda. its not a quick fix thing – chromium or not. I think you are on the right track by exercising more. Focus on being healthy. I think if you did that, in the end it will be best regardless of the weight you lose.
hi joe. i have suffered from pcos and struggled with my weight i workout from gym running spin, zumba, pilates on weekly basis. i read taking chromium polynicotinate and magnesium would help. i am in good health other wise.
Hi Cel, Ive never heard of chromium helping PCOS. I did a quick search and didn’t see any research. If it helps, do let me know. Im curious.
I am a type 2 diabetic I take 35 units of Lantus,500 metformin twice a day,multivitamin,320 aspirin and a statin. stopped taking statin after reading about side effects. since stopping I have no pain.
multivitamin has 100% dv of niacin. my cholesterol was never very high 110, hdl 70, ldl 30.
dr gave me statin as precaution have been reading about the other drugs that I take and have read that they can be causing resistance to controlling blood sugar thinking of using Chromium Polynicotinate as everything I have read indicates that combined with Cinnomin is very effective in doing what the drugs do without side effects
I am 70. Had colon cancer 5yrs ago and a stroke 2yrs ago my liver and kidney functions are normal what combined dosage would you recommend ?
Art, you did not say if you were doing any type of exercise. If you are not, I recommend taking a 20-30 minute walk per day. Even if you can only do 10 minutes at a time, try 3 bouts of 10 minutes per day. This will help you a LOT more than chromium supplements.
Since you said you stopped taking the statin, you should tell your doctor about this and also have your LDL checked again. some statins reduce LDL and the big thinking on heart disease these days is that lowering LDL is most important. you have a low LDL but I was curious if that is due to the statin? if you had side effects from it (like muscle pain) maybe he/she can give you another type that doesn’t do that.
Regardless, considering all you said, my opinion is that walking a few times per week will do a lot better for you than another pill. I really do believe this.
I have had hypoglycemia for years and although am typically active I have always battled belly fat. No other health concerns other than weight loss. Female 5’2 160 pounds. Typically walk an average of 15km a week on varied terrain at a good pace. Considering trying chromium pollinate or the chromium polynicotinate. Are you aware of any negative or positive on Hypoglycemia. I am 52 …. will this help my fitness routine to increase muscle and reduce body fat?
Adele, I don’t see any good proof that chromium – any type – will burn fat or build muscle. It can help lower blood sugar though. So if you are already dealing with hypoglycemia, in theory there may be an effect but I really don’t know for sure. walking also reduces blood sugar also. Given what you said you area already doing, I dont think you need chromium. Id rather you keep track of your fitness and calories with something like MyFitnessPal.
I have a different question for you Joe, do you know of a good low sugar, but high protein powder for meal replacement out there that would be good for a type 2 diabetic like me. My sugar a controlled also. It’s so confusing to consumers like me who is trying to do right for themselves.
Thanks
Rachel
Hi Rachel, you could always go to a health food store and get some protein power and mix it in with milk. Take a look at Isopure and dymatize. If you are looking for something in a can, RTD 51 is something I like the taste of. Take a look at this interview I did with a women who had type II diabetes http://www.joe-cannon.com/interview-yolanda-bowles-diabetes-exercise-nutrition-cure-type-ii-diabetes/
Was wondering if there is an optimum time of day to take Chromium Polynicotinate? I take Levothyroxine at 6am and then with breakfast or lunch I take a multi vitamin, calcium, Glucoamine Chrodroitin and acidophilius. After dinner I take another Glucoamine Chrodroitin, aspirin, vitamin C and magnesium. I would like to add the Chromium but not sure what the safest and beneficial time is. Should I omit any of the supplements I am currently taking? Thank you for any guidance you can offer.
Christine, for the most part there isn’t a “best time’ to take chromium but since you are taking thyroid meds, I’d seperte it and other supplements by it by at least an hour. You didn’t say why you were taking those other supplements so its hard to say whether you need them all or not. Check out my post on facts about glucosamine for more info.
I have another question I ordered my 1st. bottle of Chromium Polynicotinate do have any advise on when is it best to take it? Like 2 hours after I take my Medformin 1000 mg. 2x a day and I take a new one in the morning also with my Medformin it is Onglyza 5 mg.
Thank You
Rachel B.
Rachel, I honestly don’t know if that information is available but I personally would not take them at the same time.
Okay Thank You.
Rachel B.
I just started taking chromium picolinate today and I noticed that it has already increased my appetite. And gives me a nauseated feelings. Should I stop taking it or is it because of my increase in metabolism
Danesha, are you taking it to lower your blood sugar or for weight loss? If weight loss, my personal feelings is it wont work. if its for blood sugar levels, Id rather you took a daily 20 minute walk. If its making you nauseous try taking it with food. if you did that and its still happening, Id either switch brands or stop it.
Can I take chromium while breastfeeding? I have serious blood sugar issues, and am wondering if this would help?
Tracie, Id say talk to your doctor about this but if you ask me, I say, wait until after you are no longer breast feeding. if you can, take a daily walk. walking – or any exercise -helps lower blood sugar levels
Hi Joe! I was wondering if you thought either chromium polynicotinate or chromium picolinate could have any effect on Type 1 Diabetes.
Kaitlyn, type I diabetes is different than type II. type I is thought to be primarily due to the immune system attacking the beta cells of the pancreas that make insulin. This is why people take insulin to make up for what they are not making anymore. I would be careful of chromium or anything else that can reduce blood sugar because of its possible interaction with insulin.
If you go to a website called ReachMD.com and sign up (its free) you can listen to various podcasts on medical topics. If you search for diabetes you will find an interesting interview with a researcher who has “cured” type I diabetes in mice. It seems that if you can stop the immune attack, the beta cells grow back. As you can imagine the researcher is not getting any pharmaceutical support for her research but the last I heard she was starting to do preliminary research on human beta cells. It was a fascinating interview. ReachMD is a channel on Sirius/XM radio. It’s a medical channel.
Just back from the Dr. who told me I have Diabetes, didn’t say which kind, but it would never be cured, and wrote me a prescription for Metformin 500 MG. I am 65, weigh 165, with the last 20 lbs, fighting belly fat. He mentioned chromium helping, but it wouldn’t take care of it.
Oh, my number is 6.5 on my Hemoglobin A1C. The reason I am writing is your articles I have read about curing it, being the opposite from what he was saying. Are the Drs. aware of this and want to keep us in the dark? Or do they just think we won’t try? But we will take a pill.
Stephanie, if he put you on metformin, Im guessing you have type II diabetes – thats the most common type of diabetes. I think some doctors say you cant cure it (or put it in remission, whatever you want to call it) because they feel most people are not willing to do what it takes – lose weight and exercise regularly. I think they feel that by delaying treatment, the diabetes may get worse.
I know your doctor is aware that losing weight and exercise will improve your insulin sensitivity (that’s what metformin helps). Are there people who do all the right things and still have type II diabetes. Yes. But I think they are a minority of people. Does anybody else in your family have diabetes? That increases the risk also but even then, improvements can be obtained.
Believe me, Im not trying to be controversial by talking about this. It is possible for some. Here is a woman who did it
http://www.joe-cannon.com/interview-yolanda-bowles-diabetes-exercise-nutrition-cure-type-ii-diabetes/
What is the difference between chromium picolinate and chromium polynicotinate
They are both chromium. they attached the chromium to different things to enhance its absorption. Picolinate is a metabolite of the amino acid tryptophan. Polynicotinate is a derivative of niacin.
Should I take any chromium supplement if I’m not diabetic or overweight? I am a 45 year old woman in pretty good health except for GERD and Barrett’s Esophogus. I only take Tums or occasionally Ranitidine (150 mg).
Patsy, I don’t think you need chromium supplements based on what you said. I’d rather you took a daily walk or some other type of exercise.
Thank you for your reply. I didn’t think I needed it based on things I’d read but I wanted another opinion. Have a great day!
Hello my name is Rachel, and I to seen the segment about Chromium Polynicotinate 200 mg once a day may help someone like me who has type 2 diabetes I am on metform-1000 2x a day and she started me on Onglyza 5 mg. Also on hormones cream and thyroid meds and wellbutrin 150 mg. I wanted to know if its something that I should try to help with my diabetes. I asked my Doctor about to see what she suggest and she said she didn’t know a lot about it, but I could give it a try. Do you think its something I should try and may help me. My A1c is 6.7 just got my results today.
Rachel, Im not a doctor and so I dont know either. What I would suggest is that chromium and your diabetes meds might lower your blood sugar more than metformin alone.
Rachel, please take a look at these links and then ask your doctor if this this is possible for you too
http://www.joe-cannon.com/can-type-ii-diabetes-be-cured/
http://www.joe-cannon.com/natural-cure-for-diabetes/
http://www.joe-cannon.com/interview-yolanda-bowles-diabetes-exercise-nutrition-cure-type-ii-diabetes/
can i take chromium picolanate instead of the POLY with metformin and crestor?
Alice, since Im not a doctor and dont know your medical status its impossible for me to say for sure. Please ask your doctor /pharmacist about this to get a better idea.
how well does this work for men?
Larry, I know of no gender differences for men or women. Id assume the effects are similar. A pharmacist, diabetes educator or physician may be able to give you a better answer.
I appreciate your input. I am currently watching Dr. Oz since my daughter is a Type 2 Diabetic. I am really disappointed that the guest doctor nor Dr. Oz mentioned the negative aspects one can expect if they cannot exercise a great deal. My daughter was diagnosed after having to remain on a very high dose of steroids daily (the only known treatment) for pseudo-orbital tumors of both eyes for 7 years in which she gained a great deal of weight. So, thank you. Much appreciated!
Brenda, Im glad I was able to help in some small way. Ill say a prayer for your daughter – and you tonight.
We accept any all all prayers! Thank you and God Bless!
Hi Joe, I have recently had a baby and have gotten into a fatigue stage, i have a three year old and 9mnt old and returned to a full time work when my second child was 5mnts. I have been to the doctor and all my blood work checks out but I have not been able to get my energy level back up.
When I work out it takes me a couple days to get back to a stage where I don’t feel like complete crap. I have recently discovered a dietary supplement called excelatrim, which has a chromium polynicotinate, green tea leaf extract, raspberry ketones, Asian ginseng root extract, acai fruit extract and caffeine,
I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this, it is suppose to boost energy and help with weight loss. Wondering if its a good one or a stay away from supplement!?? Thanks for your time!
Hi Sam, while I have not heard of excelatrim, I have done reviews on a lot of its ingredients. here they are
http://supplementclarity.com/chromium-polynicotinate-diabetes-review-side-effects-chromium-picolinate/
http://supplementclarity.com/raspberry-ketones-weight-loss-review-side-effects/
http://supplementclarity.com/acai-berry-review-weight-loss-side-effect/
http://supplementclarity.com/acai-berry-diet-review/
A lot of weight loss products have caffeine. if you put “caffeine” in the search box, all the products I looked at will show up and you can see what I said about them.
it soudns like the product you mentioned is just a stimulant. also read this other post Ive written on these products http://www.joe-cannon.com/what-weight-loss-supplements-work/
Hi Again Joe !
Thank you for the time you’ve put into sending me the information. I’ve read a lot of Q&A’s here and there seems to be a lot of people that put a great deal of trust in you. I will be looking into the mushroom as well as the extract. I have a friend that works in a the Health Food Store, and will see if she can point me in the right direction on finding these products you have mentioned. Thank you again for your time !
Sincerely,
Mark
Thanks Mark I appreciate that !