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Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 4, 351-357 (2004)
Published by the American College of Nutrition

Effects of Acute Chromium Supplementation on Postprandial Metabolism in Healthy Young Men

Marc T. Frauchiger, PhD, Caspar Wenk, PhD and Paolo C. Colombani, PhD

INW Nutrition Biology, Department of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, SWITZERLAND

Address reprint requests to: Paolo Colombani, PhD, INW Nutrition Biology, ETH Zentrum LFW A 33, CH-8092, Zurich, SWITZERLAND. E-mail: paolo.colombani{at}inw.agrl.ethz.ch

Background: Chromium (Cr) potentiates the action of insulin in the cell and improves glucose tolerance after long-term supplementation.

Objective: We hypothesized that Cr may also have acute effects and might be beneficial in lowering the glycemic index of a meal.

Methods: We studied the effects of short-term Cr supplementation using a randomized crossover design. Thirteen apparently healthy, non-smoking young men of normal body mass index performed three trials each separated by one week. Test meals, providing 75 g of available carbohydrates, consisted of white bread with added Cr (400 or 800 µg as Cr picolinate) or placebo.

Results: After addition of 400 and 800 µg Cr incremental area under the curve (AUC) for capillary glucose was 23% (p = 0.053) and 20% (p = 0.054), respectively, lower than after the white bread meal. These differences reached significance if the subjects were divided into responders (n = 10) and non-responders (n = 3). For the responders AUC after 400 and 800 µg Cr was reduced by 36% and 30%, respectively (Placebo 175 ± 22, Cr400 111 ± 14 (p < 0.01), Cr800 122 ± 15 mmol · min/L (p < 0.01)). Glycemia was unchanged after addition of Cr in the non-responders. Responders and non-responders differed significantly in their nutrient intake and eating pattern, and total serum iron concentration tended to be lower in the responder group (p = 0.07).

Conclusions: Acute chromium supplementation showed an effect on postprandial glucose metabolism in most but not all subjects. The response to Cr may be influenced by dietary patterns.

Key words: chromium, glycemic index, glycemia, postprandial metabolism, glucose, insulin






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