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?
I tried taking Chromium Picolinate but did not realize people taking insulin should NOT fool around with chromium. I passed out four times and went into a coma, and friends had to call 911. My memory has not fully recovered. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR ANYONE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES, WHO IS TAKING INSULIN.
Douglas oh my goodness! I’m so sorry that happened to you! I’m sorry, you’re still having difficulties also. Were you taking chromium for blood sugar issues or weight loss?
I have been taking a Chromium supplement. I noticed heart palpitations a few days ago … trying to figure what is setting it off…. ?
Is it possible that the chromium is causing this?
Hi Teresa, it’s hard to say but why don’t you stop taking chromium supplement and see if it goes away. Is chromium the only ingredient in your supplement (check the back of the bottle to see the ingredients).
May I ask why you are taking the chromium supplement
I think Chromium Picolinate works. I hate exercising, when I walk even, my feet, calves and thighs burn like hell!! In view of this I have been taking up to 800mcg, 2 tablets. sometimes I take only one tablet. In approximately 2-3 months, I have gone from 80-81 kgs to 74kgs, which is very sensible weight loss rate.
I am male 66 yrs .I think, that, you can expect this kind of weight loss and body size loss, initially. It gets to about 0.5 kgs each 7-10 dats, now. This is probably because, muscle being denser, and weighing more than fat, is building. I am using Prednisolone and Omeprazole and Methotrexate for Prurigo Nodularis among other nasty skin conditions which affect all of my body systems.
I weigh myself with normal attire, wallet and shoes and socks. I therefore am not gilding the lily, I also weigh with the same digital scales placed exactly in the same position always and after eating a medium breakfast.I have noted that it increases energy similarly to Ginseng, Horny Goatweed and the like. None of those work any better, nor underarms Testosterone application, than CP.
Hi Dallas, I am really happy you have gotten some good results from chromium. Thanks so much for sharing.
Fat and muscle weigh the same. A pound of water is the same as a pound of bread.
Fat and muscle in the same amount of space weight very much differently. That’s why, if you start exercising, you might find that your clothes are feeling looser but you are gaining a bit of weight. Dallas already mentioned that muscle is denser.
yes of course —– but muscle is much denser and excercise will build up muscles at the same time as fat loss but you can actually weigh more — it is body fat loss that is important and not overall weight loss that is important.
Hi there, I enjoyed your article. I am debating taking a chromium based supplement. As I read your article I was reminded that I have also read about the ability of a “type” of Chromium to change DNA in “certain” people, and that it resulted in lung cancer in otherwise healthy people.
There was a study and book on it I came across one day but can’t recall the name of it. The fact that it’s a “type” of chromium effecting people with “certain” DNA may explain why everyone taking chromium isn’t “dropping like flys.” But who knows.
I do have a personal testimony of why I partly believe this to be true at this point. See My grandmother was a very health conscious woman long before she was diagnosed with lung cancer at 65. She didn’t smoke or drink. She ate very healthy, organic foods, drank rice milk, lots of fruits, veggies, extra virgin olive oil, fresh game.
She died of lung cancer (or possible the chemo that followed after diagnosis) when I was 16. I never understood it. When I came across a study on chromium by accident, that was the only thing that made sense. See I remember her chewing chromium gum all–the- time. And even giving me some. It was “good” stuff. It’s possible it was something else.
But I feel more research should be made in this area. So, for now, maybe it’s ok that I’m cautious. And maybe some folks should be more cautious of the type they consume if they have had someone, otherwise healthy, diagnosed with lung cancer in there family. At least that’s what my take is, until more research has been done.
Hi Emma, I’m very sorry for the loss of your grandmother. My mom died of lung cancer (she did smoke unfortunately) so I empathize with what you and your family went through. The study of chromium and cancer go back to the 1990s and they were basically test tube studies (they didnt involve people). That said I am a believer in getting vitamins and minerals from food where possible. Even if those believe food isn’t as good as it used to be, it still has many nutrients in synergy with other plant compounds that can help us stay healthy.
I’ve never heard of chromium chewing gum. Thanks for letting me know about it.
You mentioned some studies that suggested that chromium picolinate could cause cancer…….THEN you totally ignored the lifetime studies in rats and mice that were fed massive doses of chromium picolinate and did not develop cancer. Why are you citing an old study done with a non commercial form of chromium using cells vs. national studies done for a full lifetime in animals that showed no adverse effects?
Chromium in the form of picolinate or polynicotinate are probably both good and there is little information to pick one vs. another as both are absorbed better than chromium chloride for example……..GO By the price and not the hype or stories like this that present only a sprinkling of “facts”
NC, Ron, if you read the next sentence of my review, after the part about cancer, you would have seen this statement by me ” 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.”
Joe
I read an article in better nutrition magazine about chromiun as a supplement. In doing some on line research I came across your blog. Always one to be careful about supplements I am very cautious because I can’t tell the difference between nutrition facts and nutrition facts for $$. Anyway I have type II diabetes. It seems the more I exercise, the closer I watch my food intake and the more weight I lose the higher my blood sugar levels.
Just recovering from a three week virus infection that has caused my sugar levels to elevate even more. I seem to have more concern than my doctor who’s only interest is the 90 A1C results. Should I add some Chromium to my diet along with the metformim?
Bob
Hi Bob, Be sure to ask your pharmacist and doctor if your try it. It’s possible that there might be a blood sugar lowering interaction. Have you been losing weight since you started on this journey? How much and how long have you been trying to improve your type II diabetes?
The A1C is a measure of long term blood sugar control while blood sugar just tells what it is today. thats likely why your dr is more concerned with A1C.
This might be a bit of a weird question but I’ve never been able to find a solid answer on it.
A few years ago my mom and I both started taking some vitamin supplement of some kind until we both started suffering from serious lightheadedness and inability to concentrate, I had it much worse than her. When we stopped taking it, we wrote down all the ingredients to keep an eye out for them in the future and try and figure out what caused it.
Anyway, years down the road I have had the same side effect happen to me with drinking certain flavors of Lifewater and with some other random supplement things. The only ingredient all these products had in common was Chromium.
My question is, since I haven’t been able to find useful research on this, could Chromium cause that kind of side effect? Is it possible to be I guess allergic isn’t the right word…but bothered by it? I know it can cause liver problems but is there anything that suggests it might cause lightheadedness?
Thanks.
Hi Kalle, Im honestly not sure. Chromium does appear to reduce blood sugar in some people and this might cause people to feel lightheaded if the blood sugar goes too low. Because the brain needs sugar to work, a sign of low blood sugar is inability to concentrate and irritability. This might be expected to be compounded if you both were eating fewer calories. I think scenario though this would depend on several factors so I could not guarantee this is what was happening to you and your mom.
Have you ever asked a pharmacist this question? They often know a lot about supplement side effects. They might be able to shed light on this especially if the story has Lifewater and the other supplements you said you were taking with it.
I hope some of this helps Kalle.
Thank you for your insight. The next time I go the pharmacy I’ll make sure to ask. Thanks again!
My question is not about taking this supplement however about the ingredient O-polynicotinate Chromium, which I assume is still just Chromium.
my son has to loose weight. Years of medications for mental health depression and anxiety issues which had weight gain as side effect has yearly taken a toll on him.
He is now on medication which have little to no weight gain as side effects and works out a lot and has lost a lot of his weight, yet he still can’t quite get there after years of trying.
can he take a supplement weight loss program I found if it contains Chromium…… I have read it can effect depression and anxiety ? I was thinking of ordering him the Leptigen .
Victoria, its my understanding that the “O” in the name of the chromium refers to “ortho” and is just fancy talk. As you said, I think its just another name for chromium. As for depression and anxiety, I have seen differing effects from chromium, some saying it helps and others saying not so much.
That said why don’t you ask your pharmacist what she/he thinks. They may be able to offer some insights on this. Let me know what they say about this. I’ll add Leptigen to my list of things to look at (I do have a list). looking over its ingredients briefly, I’m personally a bit skeptical but Id have to take a closer look at its Meritrim ingredient to know more.
For what its worth, I personally don’t think chromium has any effect on weight loss. Here’s my review of chromium and weight loss. see the research yourself.
Hi Victoria, I just posted a review of Leptigen, here it is
http://supplementclarity.com/leptigen-weight-loss-review/
Hello, i was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes. I am a 48-year-old male. I am taking metaformin 850 mg and have just begun a low carb diet and am beginning to exercise more. My doctor here says if I lose 40 pounds over the next year I may possibly reverse my diabetes.
I have read that taking chromium together with cinnamon can be a good supplement to the aforementioned, any thoughts? Also, which do you think is more effective (and safer) for someone in my circumstance, polynicotinate or pilonicotinate?? And how many mg?? Thanks
James, keeping in mind that the best way to beat diabetes is to lose weight, studies have used 200-500 mcg of chromium , usually chromium picolinate. There have been some studies on the nicoinate form which I think is interesting but at this point I don’t know if anyone has shown one form better than another. I’ve seen some studies on cinnamon but its less than with chromium. I would not start with taking both at the same time. This will reduce any side effects you might notice.
Neither chromium or cinnamon helps weight loss. Rather, they just appear to help insulin sensitivity. While that can help the diabetes, I view this as basically sticking a finger in the dam. Another leak will spring up eventually.
Start a basic walking program if you are not doing any exercise. For example, start with 15 min of walking a day and gradually build up to 45-60 minutes. try to do something most days of the week. Eventually do some strength training too. Circuit training will be the most efficient way to do this.
Like the supplements, exercise can help but its the weight loss that will make the biggest impact on reversing diabetes. I hope this helps James. If you have any other questions, just ask.
Hi Joe, I take Chromium picolinate, and it helps me a lot with my hypoglyceimia! however, it works for two days only then when I take more of it, it will not have any effect. If I wait a few more days it will work again for two days only! Any idea why is that?
Ali, Ive never heard of that happening. Does walking or other exercise help your blood sugar?
No, exercise makes it worse. I ordered chromium polynicotinate to see if my body will keep absorbing it. chromium helps my metabolism and insulin sensitivity and I was able to stay asleep through the night which is something I couldn’t do in the past three months, unfortunately, it didn’t last for a long time.
Ali, thanks for the clarification. what did you do for exercise? Do you still exercise? Sometimes waking up in the middle of the night could be a sign of low blood sugar. So I wonder if that’s why you were waking up and maybe why you are not waking up when the chromium is working?
That’s exactly right, my blood sugar goes a little low and wakes me up, and my insulin might be consistently elevated! This is insulin resistance as you know. Chromium helped significantly! but my body doesn’t always absorb it. I will try chromium polynicotinate next time.
My exercise is running a few miles but I do less now.
Ali, keep me posted on what happens. you dont have to run. Walking will work just as well for cardio 🙂
Joe I was pulling some info together for a friend when I came across your blog. Just to pass a little info onto others with diabetic issues. While I am not diabetic, my mother whom I cared for the past six years was. When I moved in with her to take care of her after a bad back surgery she was on 4 diabetic medications. When she passed this pass February (age 87) she was only taking cinnulin PF, chromium polynicotinate and Gymnema sylvestre and maintaining around 100 – 115 daily ( blood sugar monitoring). Here is a link to info on Gymnema for diabetics http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2170951/
But for a person that had been a diabetic for 30 years, no longer on med’s I can say those 3 supplements worked for her especially in the reality that she also had limited mobility from the back surgery.
For those worried with liver issue and chromium, they should look into Milk Thistle to regenerate the liver. It actually got the gold star from Harvard researchers within the past 3 years. But do your research, like all supplements not all supplements are quality or manufactured in a manner to make them very bioavailable. Look for highly-absorbable form of milk thistle called Silybin Phytosome®.
I was totally blown away when I came across a medpub research paper that a side effect of Ubiquinol was kidney repair in diabetic patients on dialysis. Couldn’t find the actual medpub research article again, but this is worth sharing.
Hope this will help others find support for their health issues. Oh I should mention all the above supplements never caused any interactions with her diabetic medications or any of the other med’s she was on. But people should always consult their health care professionals before they start taking supplements, especially herbs, even just daily multiples.
Good luck to all.
Carol, really sorry for the passing of your mom. I commend you for moving in to take care of her after her surgery. I know the time you spent together are filled with wonderful memories you will cherish for the rest of your life.
Fist, my condolences on the loss to your family. Just wondering, while she was on the supplements you mentioned was she also on Metformin or other diabetic prescription meds?
Thanks for your info. I wonder if supplements alone kept her sugar 110-115.
Joe this is such a great study and I love reading all of the articles and peoples comments and questions, but it has been over a year since someone posted … is there a reason?
Hi Rhonda, on some reviews, there are comments multiple times a day and then with others -like this one – its less frequent. I didn’t realize it was so long since somebody commented here 🙁
I do link to this review in others I write so maybe people comment on those others instead? I’m not sure. To see a review that gets a lot of frequent comments check out the posts on Protandim and Plexus Slim and Anatabloc. They are usually very active 🙂
Glad you have enjoyed this review. Please do share me with your friends 🙂
I started taking chromium polynicotinate 200 mcg like Dr Oz recommended after finding out my fasting glucose 151 and A1c 6.7 in July, 3 months ago. Since last 2 months I am taking 1 tablet with dinner every day. I just had my blood work report today and found out that my fasting glucose went only 5 points down and my A1C went .4 UP making it 7.1???? CONFUSED…… I thought this was suppose to help me. Thanks
Mina, I understand your confusion. while there is some evidence that chromium can help blood sugar and AIC levels, its effects can vary. If you are able to, I would prefer you take a walk every day (or at least 3-4 days per week). There is FAR more evidence for the benefits of exercise on AIC and blood sugar (and all the other side effects of diabetes and pre-diabetes) than chromium supplements. While I dont know your situation, if you can start with just a few minutes a day and gradually build up to 20-30 minutes per day (you dont have to do it all at the same time either), I think you would be very pleased with the results.
Joe,
Thank you so much for your advice. Will defenitely start with the walks.
Mina, excellent! Keep me posted on how it goes. Here is an interview I did with someone who used exercise to help her diabetes
http://www.joe-cannon.com/interview-yolanda-bowles-diabetes-exercise-nutrition-cure-type-ii-diabetes/
I started taking chromium polynicotinate (200mcg) after watching Dr. Oz since I’m early 40s and although thin, wanted to lose a bit of belly fat. What I noticed after 3 hours was a surprising elevation from my lifelong depression, my chronic struggle in life to feel pleasure in things was suddenly now gone. It felt miraculous:
I could think more clearly and had sharp focus, speak fluidly without slowly down searching for words and had an overall feeling of mental wellness, motivation and higher frustration tolerance along with less fear and anxiety. I lost those intrusive self-flagellating thoughts as well but it didn’t bleed over into the mania realm either, it just felt simply healthy.
Unfortunately, I started getting a tingle/pain feeling in my liver area so I stopped taking it. I SO crave to have that veil lifted and feel like a normal person. I haven’t tried the picolinate form but I imagine the side effects may be similar.
Have you heard of something similarly as effective for someone like me? I haven’t been diagnosed with anything nor ever had a surgery, not sure why the itchy, tingling pain feeling in the liver but it seems something I should be avoiding.
Interesting note: when I took it two days in a row, I would get a terribly sleepy feeling on the second day in the afternoons. I’m theorizing perhaps that has something to do with the fact it may have an effect on mitochondria.
I have a child who has inherited a mito condition (we are both extremely thin) and she also has inherited the familial dysthymia. I did not try the chromium on her of course, but thought it was something interesting and possibly relevant.
Madalena, Ive seen research where chromium might help depression. Here is one such study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12559660?dopt=Abstract
Here is more recent review that touches on chromium and other things
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20579741
There isn’t a lot of concrete proof it helps everybody (probably due to the fact that depression can be complicated as you know) but I’ve seen a few case reports in the past where it did help (I also remember seeing at least one case report several years ago where it was bad for bipopar disorder. Again this is just a case report of 1 person so how true it might be, I’ll leave to better minds than me).
As for what caused the liver tingling/pain you had, I am not sure. Are you positive the two are related? Did the liver tingling/pain happen every time you took chromium? How long did it take to occur? Considering the positive effects you experienced, I’d talk this over with your doctor and see if they can recommend a brand that might not cause the liver tingling you were experiencing.
Keep me posted on how things progress for you 🙂
I had Thyroid Cancer in 2012 and had a thyroidectomy follwed by a radiation ablation to kill the parathyroids. I am also diabetic on insulin since the thyroid cancer (never had thyroid problems before the cancer) would it be safe for me to try this? I was on oral diabetic meds til the cancer then was placed on insulin which I wouls love to come off of if possible.
Jamie, so sorry to hear about what happened to you! I think this is a question best answered by your doctor. You can also get some info by talking to your pharmacist as well.
Hi Joe,
Your article above is from 2011. Dr. Oz had an updated article on February 21 of this year (“chromium polynicotinate is this right for you”), presumably accompanied by a tv show, which apparently prompted lots of comments above around that exact time.
The Dr. Oz article references a study for the proposition that “With regard to fat loss, another study on 20 overweight women found that taking chromium polynicotinate contributed to more fat loss with less muscle loss. The experimental group lost 84% body fat and 16% muscle, while the control group lost 92% muscle and only 8% fat.”
The Dr. Oz article provides no link to the study, but I assume it’s referring to the 1999 study I link below. Your article above discussed and was critical of another weight loss study, from 1997. Can you please comment on the 1999 study. Here is the link to the study, and an excerpt of the Conclusions section of the abstract.
Thank you very much. Ary
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11225649
CONCLUSIONS: Niacin-bound chromium given to modestly dieting-exercising African-American women caused a significant loss of fat and sparing of muscle compared to placebo. Once chromium was given at these dose levels, there was a ‘carry-over’ effect. Blood chemistries revealed no significant adverse effects from the ingestion of 600 microg of niacin-bound chromium daily over 2 months.
Ary, thanks for that study!