September 2005

Chromium picolinate may improve glucose metabolism

A new study found that chromium picolinate may increase the amount of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) — a key enzyme involved in metabolism — in skeletal muscle cells, thus improving energy balance and insulin function.

The research was conducted at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The findings were presented this week at the 41st Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Athens, Greece.

The cell study was initiated from skeletal muscle biopsies and grown to 80 percent confluence. Cultures were incubated in the presence of chromium picolinate (2.5, 5, 10, 20, or 50 ng/ml) or control media only and isolated after 16 hours of treatment. The chromium picolinate treatment resulted in an increase in phosphorylation and activity of AMPK. Specifically it was observed that chromium picolinate selectively elevated AMPka2, which has been shown to positively affect glucose metabolism in skeletal and heart muscles.

Source: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, www.pbrc.edu

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