Anyone heard of chromium (III) picolinate?
Posted by Narcissus on Aug 19, 2010 · Member since Mar 2006 · 828 posts
I was on the anus of the internet (don't ask) and a young lady seeking help in losing weight by controlling her overeating was recommended chromium (III) picolinate. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and apparently although it's sold as just a supplement, there have been studies which (far from conclusively, I'll grant that) showed that it might help with atypical depression, carbohydrate cravings, and irregular appetite.
Well, I'm a depressed bulimic triggered by starchy carbs, not to put too fine a point on it, and this is relevant to my interests. Anyone have any anecdata or real data to share?
I take it all the time...I think in the beginning I took it for blood sugar...I have low blood sugar.
I also think it helps rid my body of fluids.
Did you get any help with this? ;)b
Just a quick side bar...
If you are looking for Chromium supplement to help with sugar cravings, I recommoned Chromium Vanadium. More importantly would be to focus on a diet high in whole grains. If you want the extra buffering for blood sugar stabilization, pair your grains with a protein or fat source (Eg. Rice with lentils, whole grain toast with nut butter, fruit salad with nuts, pita with hummus, etc). Lastly, for depression I would recommend starting with a b-complex vitamin with extra b-12 (never take b vitamins singularly unless instructed by a naturopath/orthomolecular therapist). Also a good EFA complex with extra Zinc and selenium (hint - 2 brazil nuts a day). Also, eat smaller meals more often and this should help.
Sorry about the lengthy aside. I hope that helps...
Eri-
I'd never heard of Chromium Vanadium... I'll take a look at it.
I run into problems with pairing grains and proteins because of my emotional brouhaha as well as intolerance to gluten grains (actually, I think the latter may be somewhat causative of the former...) but I realise that this is probably exactly the reason why I really should do that better. Like, actually willingly eat carby grains in moderate amounts.
I hate that this is so much like a dog chasing its tail - the depression is what causes the food issues, but if I could start eating more healthily then that might help with the depression.
Narcissus-
If you think that you need a little bit more catered help please feel free to send me a message or IM of sorts. If you have gluten issues there are some amazing quinoa recipes on this site that can be picked up by adding some lentils. Hummus is another great starting point on rice cakes if you find yourself really busy.
I hope that you can find the chromium. Also, if you are not on meds there are some herbs that can be helpful to deal with the mood, but I would be careful to look at the contraindications before recommending anything.
Eri
Thanks Eri, I'll keep that in mind! I used to take St. Johns wort when I was trying to stay off fluoxetine, but obviously I had to stop when I picked up the prescription again. Now I'm off it again, and found that when I started to take it again, it was playing hell with my stomach (never done that before...) so I might try the herbal route again...