Effects of chromium picolinate supplementation on body composition: a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study

Abstract

To examine the effect of chromium picolinate (CrP) on body composition, a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study was conducted. A total of 154 patients received either a placebo or 200 μg or 400 μg of CrP per day. Subjects were asked to consume at least two servings of a protein/carbohydrate nutritional drink a day that contained the different amounts of CrP. Subjects were free-living and were not provided with weight loss, dietary, or exercise guidance. Body composition was measured before and after the 72-day test period by using underwater testing (displacement method) with residual lung volumes determined by helium dilution. On completion of the posttest, a body composition improvement (BCI) index was calculated for each subject by adding the loss of body fat and gain in nonfat mass and subtracting fat gained and lean lost. Analysis of the prestudy data revealed that there were no significant differences in body composition between the three groups. After the test period, both the 200-μg and 400-μg groups had significantly higher positive changes in BCIs compared with placebo. A single-factor analysis of variance weighted linear trend was also highly significant. No significant differences in BCI were found between the 200- and 400-μg groups. Supplementation with a minimum of 200 μg/d of chromium (as CrP) can lead to significant improvement in body composition.