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It sounds like the National Council Against Health Fraud is giving the typical knee-jerk response to supplementation. In other words, "if person X isn't deficient in nutrient Y, then supplementing nutrient Y won't have any effect." This is short-sighted drivel IMHO.
At the same time, I'll concede that most thermogenic products on the market are garbage. Throw in 10 ingredients that people have heard of (ginseng, chromium picolinate, caffeine, taurine, etc.), 5 ingredients that they haven't heard of (unicorn horn, pixie dust, newt's feet), charge $60 a bottle and market it to people looking to get a quick fix. Instant money maker.
Chromium is found in most if not all high quality multivitamin/minerals, so I wouldn't be too concerned about deficiency if you're eating by NHE and supplementing. Atkins was and the Eades are big supporters of chromium for those who are glucose intolerant, so my gut feeling is that those studies mentioned above were flawed (why weren't the studies cited?????).
Cheers,
Joel
Greetings all, was doing some random web research and after a rather
long chain came by some information I thought might be of interest.
From a National Council Against Health Fraud article on so-called
"thermogenic" supplements (http://www.ncahf.org/articles/s-z/thermo.html):
Chromium picolinate is made in the liver and kidney and binds with
minerals to move them around the body. Chromium's biologically active
form is called glucose tolerance factor (GTF), which helps the body
use glucose. Research has shown that if blood glucose levels were
normal and there were no signs of chromium deficiency, there will be
no response to chromium supplements. While glucose metabolism is a
major factor in diabetes, studies have found that most persons with
diabetes are not chromium deficient. Although a severe chromium
deficiency can lead to elevated blood glucose levels, this is not a
factor in causing diabetes. In three studies in which persons with
diabetes took a chromium supplement, the supplement had no effect on
blood glucose control. Chromium is found in a wide variety of foods
and is a nutrient, not a therapeutic agent (medicine). As for
improving how the body handles glucose, chromium benefits only persons
who are chromium deficient. Normal people with no signs of a chromium
deficiency show no benefit after chromium supplementation. If normal,
healthy adults take a chromium supplement, a safe and adequate amount
is 50 to 200 micrograms a day. Extravagant claims for chromium
supplements are highly questionable. (Franz, 1993*)
Anyway I started wondering which foods actually contain significant
quantities of chromium and whether supplementation would be worthwhile
considering the benefits of stable blood sugar levels.
There's a decent list of chromium containing foods here:
http://www.healthwwweb.com/diet/chromium.html (apparent typo on the
blueberry data, but presumably it's low since the list is ordered)
Since grain/potato consumption is, for the most part, limited to 2
days a week for NHE adherents, active considerations might be
worthwhile to ensure adequate intake. Organ meat is apparently quite
a dense source and might be worth adding a couple times a week. I've
never had it myself, but I'll give anything a try.
Anyone's experience with chromium picolinate supplementation? Other
comments?
-MTK
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