Chromium picolinate improves insulin sensitivity by enhancing insulin receptor signaling in muscle tissue, improving the ability of insulin to enhance chemical signals that promote blood sugar uptake, according to an in vivo mechanism of action study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

“Insulin resistance is a condition in which tissues, such as fat and muscle, in the body respond poorly to insulin, the major hormone required for glucose metabolism,” said William Cefalu, M.D., investigator and chief of the division of nutrition and chronic diseases at Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC). “This condition is present in pre-diabetic states and continues when a person develops diabetes. Previous research suggested that supplementation with chromium picolinate may help improve this condition. This animal study is significant because it suggests a more detailed mechanism of action for chromium on improving insulin sensitivity in muscle.”

In the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers from PBRC and the University of Alberta used an insulin-resistant rat model to investigate the effect of chromium supplementation on insulin receptor signaling. The animals were randomly assigned to receive either chromium picolinate (CrPic) in water or plain water for three months. Based on calculated water intake, rats receiving chromium picolinate were given 80 mcg/kg/day.

At the end of the study, skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained at baseline and at 5, 15 and 30 minutes following insulin stimulation to assess insulin signaling. Obese rats treated with CrPic had significantly improved glucose disposal rates and demonstrated a significant increase in intracellular insulin signaling in skeletal muscle compared with obese controls. The researchers concluded the data suggest chromium supplementation of obese, insulin-resistant rats may improve insulin action by enhancing intracellular signaling.

Journal of Nutrition 136(2):415-420, 2006

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