A Pilot Study of Chromium Picolinate for Weight Loss

Background: Chromium is an essential trace element and nutritional supplement that has garnered interest for use as a weight loss aid. Objective: This trial assesses the effects of chromium picolinate supplementation, alone and combined with nutritional education, on weight loss in apparently healthy overweight adults. Design: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 80 otherwise healthy, overweight adults assessed at baseline for central adiposity measured by computerized tomography. Subjects were randomly assigned to daily ingestion of 1000 mu g of chromium picolinate or placebo for 24 weeks. All subjects received passive nutritional education at the 12-week point in both the intervention and control groups. Outcomes include weight, height, blood pressure, percent body fat, serum, and urinary biomarkers. Results: At baseline, both the chromium and placebo groups had similar mean body mass index (BMI) (chromium = 36 +/- 6.7 kg/m(2) versus placebo = 36.1 +/- 7.6 kg/m(2); p = 0.98). After 12 weeks, no change was seen in BMI in the intervention as compared to placebo (chromium = 0.3 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2) versus placebo = 0.0 +/- 0.4 kg/m(2); p - 0.07). No change was seen in BMI after 24 weeks in the intervention as compared to placebo (chromium - 0.1 +/- 0.2 kg/m(2) versus placebo - 0.0 +/- 0.5 kg/m(2); p - 0.81). Variation in central adiposity did not affect any outcome measures. Conclusions: Supplementation of 1000 mu g of chromium picolinate alone, and in combination with nutritional education, did not affect weight loss in this population of overweight adults. Response to chromium did not vary with central adiposity.