Chromium, an essential trace mineral naturally present in some foods (including brewer's yeast, lean meat, cheese, pork kidney and whole grain bread and cereals), that though poorly absorbed by the human body, is known to play an important role in the metabolism of carbohydrate, fat and protein.

Last April, in a study presented at a meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in San Diego, suggested that chromium picolinate is better absorbed by humans than the mineral's other forms.

In a new clinical trial led by Julie Martin from the University of Vermont found that a daily supplement of chromium picolinate, when combined with a common anti-diabetic medication, could improve blood sugar levels as well as cutting weight gain by 60%.

"The results further support that chromium may serve as a safe and effective adjunct to medication in helping people with type-2 diabetes improve their blood sugar control. In patients who take sulfonylurea to control elevated blood sugar, weight gain is common. However, the study findings show that weight gain was less with use of supplemental chromium," said researcher, William Cefalu.

"This study demonstrates that chromium picolinate supplementation in subjects with type-2 diabetes who are taking sulfonylurea agents significantly improves insulin sensitivity and glucose control," wrote Martins.

"Further, chromium picolinate supplementation significantly attenuated body weight gain and visceral fat accumulation compared with the placebo group," she concluded.

The study finding is published in the August issue of the journal Diabetes Care (Vol. 29, pp. 1826-1832) and the chromium picolinate used in the study was provided by Nutrition 21 (Chromax).

Read more at NutraIngredients.