
Suppress hunger symptoms through brain “satiety center”Īccording to the United States Federal Trade Commission, sales of chromium-based supplements are approximately $100 million a year.Stimulate production of essential nerve substances.In addition scientists believe Chromium GTF can: The chromium found in natural foods is referred to as Chromium GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor.) According to the National Institute of medicine, chromium helps maintain proper blood glucose levels. The question was recently asked, “What is the difference between FoodMatrix Chromium and Chromium Picolinate?” There are a lot of marketing materials promoting Chromium Picolinate, let’s look at the facts.Ĭhromium is an essential trace mineral for the human body.

Each of these herbs by nature have higher concentrations of chromium than other botanicals. Added to 500 mcg of GTF Chromium in each tablet is a blend of red clover tops, yarrow flowers and horsetail herb. Nature's Sunshine has modified its chromium supplement to reflect current research on increasing absorbability by adding chromium nicotinate to its regular chromium amino acid chelate. But putting a mineral supplement in an absorbable form is another matter. Taking chromium supplements is the next best thing to ingesting it through everyday eating. (Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10 ed., p. The council goes on to say that juvenile diabetes and coronary artery disease are associated with low concentrations of chromium in the blood The National Research Council tells us that in animal experiments, chromium is needed to help maintain normal blood sugar, acting as a cofactor with insulin. With chromium present in the diet, intestinal bacteria can produce GTF for you. GTF is composed of two niacin molecules, three amino acids, zinc and manganese. Chromium is the central atom in the "glucose tolerance factor" (GTF), a hormone-like compound that works with insulin to transport glucose - the body's quickest fuel-out of the blood and into the cells. Such factors as enzymes, pH (acidity or alkalinity), and bacterial action on food in the bowel can make a big difference on how much chromium gets into the bloodstream.

The general environment of the bowel is also important for absorption. For proper absorption of chromium, the body depends on a natural form of chromium which is "chelated," or joined to helper molecules. Certain bonding molecules are better than others in order for us to efficiently absorb and utilize chromium. Minerals by themselves are usually hard to absorb and require helper molecules as chaperones to usher them into the bloodstream, and through the cell wall where they can be put to work. Food processing techniques can remove nearly all of it, leading to dietary deficiencies. After chromium enters the human body, it teams up with other elements to keep our metabolism tuned and efficient. Although humans need chromium only in trace amounts, too little chromium in the human diet can lead to serious health problems. More on Chromium Nicotinate: Chromium GTF It is estimated that Americans get only half of the chromium they need each day. Nature's Sunshine has always used Chromium Nicotinate and although popularity was selling the Picolinate, they refused to manufacture it.

Other chromium compounds-such as Chromium Nicotinate and nicotinic acid did not produce the same damage. "This is the first test to directly link carcinogenicity to a form of chromium that is used as a supplement: it predicts, not proves that Chromium Picolinate is a human carcinogen." The research reported that not only did chromium picolinate damage chromosomes, but so too did picolinic acid when tested alone, although to a lesser extent. The fact that a substance damages chromosomes is considered a good indicator of its carcinogenicity. It reported that Chromium Picolinate was found to be clastogenic, meaning that it damaged chromosomes, but his finding doesn't necessarily mean that it is carcinogenic, or a definite substance or agent that produces cancer. This report was taken from the December issue of the GASEB Journal, a publication of the Federation of American Societies of experimental Biology. I stopped using chromium picolianate and will only use GTF chromium.ĭate: Saturday, 22 July 2000, at 12:53 a.m.
