What Is Chromium Picolinate & Can It Help You Lose Weight?

Weight loss is one of the vital steps to being healthy and staying healthy. Interestingly, there are about a thousand ways that you can achieve weight loss. Unfortunately, the solutions offered by the many weight loss techniques are not always lasting.

Although there are not many one-size fit solutions to healthy and permanent weight loss, one solution that seems to tick the boxes is chromium picolinate for weight loss.

In this short post below, we’ll show you exactly how this trace mineral might help you achieve your weight loss goals.

What is chromium picolinate?

Chromium picolinate is an essential trace element and a mineral that is found in certain foods. The substance works with insulin to metabolize carbohydrates and is used in alternative medicine to treat chromium deficiency.

It’s further used for treating diabetes, controlling blood sugar, and as a weight-loss supplement.

Chromium picolinate is a form of chromium. Chromium in itself exists in various forms. There is the hexavalent chromium 6+, which is toxic, and the trivalent 3+, which is found in food and which is biologically active.

That last form is known to stimulate insulin, and this is what you’ll find in chromium picolinate. As a result, chromium picolinate works to enhance the storage of carbohydrates, protein, and fat and promotes metabolism in the body since it enhances insulin.

Hexavalent chromium can cause skin cancer and irritation if it is applied directly to the skin. Unless the use is for industrial purposes, 6+ chromium is too strong to be absorbed by the skin.

Trivalent chromium, on the other hand, is just what the body needs. The trace element should, however, not be consumed in excess as the body requires only a minimal amount.

Dietary intake of chromium for weight loss is possible as it is readily available in some food substances, although in small amounts. Vegetables, spices, fruits, grain, and meat are some of the food sources of chromium. Do note that foods that are high in sugar don’t have much chromium content.

What is chromium used for?

Chromium supplements are becoming increasingly popular. They are used for many different things. Note that not all of these uses are fully supported by scientific evidence. Nevertheless, some of the common uses of chromium include:

• Body conditioning including the use for weight loss, decreasing body fat, and increasing muscle
• It is also handy for increasing energy, improving athletic performance, and reducing age-related mental decline
• Enhancing and controlling blood sugar in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes
• Treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome and Tuner’s syndrome
• Used for raising good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol
• Treatment of bipolar disorder, heart attack, and schizophrenia

Chromium picolinate benefits

Studies have shown that chromium picolinate helps to reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugar.

Whether the substance is taken alone or with other supplements, chromium aids how insulin works, especially in people who have type 2 diabetes.

Aside from this, chromium has been shown to reduce weight gain, especially in people with diabetes. It’s also shown to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Chromium for weight loss

More often than not, we see people that undertake different workout regimens in a bid to shed some weight.

Although the workout seems to work for a while, in not too long, they reach a plateau or they gain weight again. What these people seem to forget is the importance of nutrition.

You see, staying healthy and staying fit is more than working out. It is essential to consume the necessary nutrients that are needed for a healthy diet.

Enough essential nutrients to the body let it perform at the optimal level and it helps muscle reconditioning. It also, of course, reduces hunger and helps you lose weight.

When you eat, the food is transformed into glucose by the digestive system, and glucose fuels the different cells in the human body. The digested food is then fed into the cells. However, the pancreas does a good job of processing insulin so that the cells in the body can absorb the converted glucose. Put simply, what insulin does is to carry the glucose into the cells from the bloodstream.

When there is more glucose in your bloodstream, you need more insulin to process it. Since too much glucose in your body can be harmful to the vessels of blood, you need enough insulin to help circulate it.

When glucose stays in the bloodstream for too long, the result could be diabetes, atherosclerosis, and risk of stroke and heart failure. It may also impair the nerves and prevent it from sending signals.

Chromium is one of the primary nutrients required by the body to help to produce more insulin to prevent any of the ugly results above. In other words, chromium and insulin production are pairs that prevent too much free-glucose in the body.

When there is insufficient chromium in the body, glucose stays in the bloodstream and is multiplied as you eat more food. That’s because when eaten food is digested, the result is more glucose.

With so much glucose sitting around, your body feels there is not enough insulin to move the glucose and produces more insulin. When you notice higher insulin in the blood, you could often interpret it as the need for more glucose.

Hence, you start taking sugar to balance things up. Excess glucose lying around is eventually stored as fat, and well… you know what too much fat in the body means.

It is the job of chromium to aid insulin in transporting glucose to the cells. This will reduce your glucose level, and you would crave fewer carbohydrates and sugar. This, ultimately, leads to effective weight loss.

Potential side effects

Chromium picolinate is completely natural and safe to use. The best chromium supplement contains a carefully selected dosage of chromium to ensure you won’t witness any side effects.

Nevertheless, there are possible side effects to consider. If you have any medical conditions, take any medication, or have any other health concern, the best course of action before using chromium picolinate is to consult with your physician.

In particular, you should consult with your doctor before using chromium picolinate if you suffer from:

• Liver or kidney disease
• Mental illness
• Allergy
• Thyroid disorder or if you use steroids

Common side effects of chromium picolinate include:

• Coordination balance
• Nausea, itching, and tiredness
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Irritable mood

Chromium picolinate dosage

So you’re considering chromium picolinate, but you wonder how much chromium picolinate should I take for weight loss?

To answer this question, we advise you to check the Dietary Reference Intakes of Chromium Picolinate as recommended by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences below. This is the recommended chromium picolinate dosage per age group:

• 0-6 months = 0.2 mcg per day
• 7-12 months = 5.5 mcg per day
• 1-3 years = 11 mcg per day
• 4-8 years = 15 mcg per day
• 9-13 years = 25 mcg per day (males) and 21 mcg per day (female)
• 14-18 years = 35 mcg per day (males), 24 mcg per day (females), 29 mcg per day during pregnancy, and 44 mcg per day during lactation.
• 19-50 years = 35 mcg per day (males), 25 mcg per day (females), 30 mcg per day during pregnancy, and 54 mcg per day during lactation.
• 50 years and above = 30 mcg per day (males) and 20 mcg per day (females)

Where to buy chromium picolinate?

We recommend that you purchase chromium picolinate from a reputable company or via referral after consultation with your doctor.

An even better solution is to buy a product like PhenQ, which blends chromium picolinate with several other powerful ingredients to provide an all-round weight loss solution.

PhenQ is a supplement that helps you effectively lose weight. This supplement does not only contain chromium picolinate, but Capsimax Powder, Caffeine, Nopal, and L-carnitine Fumarate as well.

The supplement’s unique formula targets weight loss in five distinct ways. It speeds up the fat burning process, thereby boosting the body’s thermogenic and metabolic rates for a slimmer figure. It also contains active ingredients that stop the production of new fats to prevent gaining new weight.

On top of this, PhenQ suppresses appetite to prevent over-eating, and the ingredients also boost your energy levels. It further contains mood-boosting properties for an improved mood. A single product package contains 60 pills, and shipping is free. As a note of confidence, there is a money-back guarantee so you can easily try out the product first.

To find out more about PhenQ, check out the PhenQ website.

Conclusion

Chromium picolinate for weight loss plays different, essential roles in your body’s metabolism. Chromium is an excellent supplement for weight loss and to help you control your appetite.

It also enhances the production of insulin for improved health. With enough intake, you should see an effect in the first few weeks of consumption. However, we don’t recommend that you take more than the recommended dosage in an attempt to see more rapid results.

Further potential chromium benefits include the treatment of lower blood lipid levels, diabetes, and enhanced body composition.

To get the best results you should consider taking a more complete weight-loss solution, such as PhenQ. This natural supplement is designed to help you lose weight effectively.

Visit the PhenQ homepage for more information.