A double-blind, randomized pilot trial of chromium picolinate for binge eating disorder: Results of the Binge Eating and Chromium (BEACh) Study

Abstract

Objective Chromium treatment has been shown to improve mood, appetite, and glucose regulation in various psychiatric and medical patient populations. The authors propose that chromium may be useful in the treatment of binge eating disorder (BED). Method Twenty-four overweight adults with BED were enrolled in a 6-month double-blind placebo-controlled trial and randomly assigned to receive either 1000mcg chromium/day (“high dose”; n=8) or 600mcg chromium/day (“moderate dose”; n=9) as chromium picolinate or placebo (n=7). Mixed linear regression models were used to estimate mean change in binge frequency and related psychopathology, weight, symptoms of depression, and fasting glucose. Results Fasting glucose was significantly reduced in both chromium groups compared to the placebo group; similarly, numerically, but not significantly, greater reductions in binge frequency, weight, and symptoms of depression were observed in those treated with chromium versus placebo, although statistical power was limited in this pilot trial. For fasting glucose, the findings suggest a dose response with larger effects in the high dose compared to moderate dose group. Conclusion These initial findings support further larger trials to determine chromium’s efficacy in maintaining normal glucose regulation, reducing binge eating and related psychopathology, promoting modest weight loss, and reducing symptoms of depression in individuals with BED. Studies designed to link the clinical effects of chromium with changes in underlying insulin, serotonin, and dopamine pathways may be especially informative. If efficacious, chromium supplementation may provide a useful, low-cost alternative to or augmentation strategy for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which have partial efficacy in BED. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00904306.

Current and emerging drug treatments for binge eating disorder

“…In a 10-week RCT with 40 patients, atomoxetine was reported to be significantly superior to placebo for achieving binge-eating remission, reducing binge-eating frequency, and for weight loss (albeit minimal) but not for reducing eating-disorder psychopathology or depression[58]. One other agent have been tested with a published report indicating chromium picolinate failed to show a significant advantage relative to placebo[59]. …”

Peer Review #3 of "Psychological, pharmacological, and combined treatments for binge eating disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis (v0.1)"

“…Two studies (n = 103) were identified. They investigated chromium picolinate with two dosages (800-1000 g/day) (Brownley et al 2013) and Orlistat (120 mg/day) (Golay et al 2005). Participants were 18-65 years (mean ages were and 41) and they were mostly women (>83%) with a mean BMI of 37 and 43 respectively.…”

“…Participants were 18-65 years (mean ages were and 41) and they were mostly women (>83%) with a mean BMI of 37 and 43 respectively. One study included overweight and obese (Brownley et al 2013) while the other included only obese participants. The duration of the treatments were six months in both studies with no follow-ups.…”

Dietary chromium supplementation for targeted treatment of diabetes patients with comorbid depression and binge eating

“…Chromium supplementation has also been shown to reduce depression symptoms and carbohydrate cravings in antidepressant-refractory patients with dysthymic disorder [75-77] and to reduce food intake and hunger levels in non-depressed overweight women with carbohydrate cravings [78]. In addition, our group recently reported reduced binge eating in overweight individuals with binge eating disorder following a 6-month chromium supplementation trial [79], possibly due to improvements in cognitive processes (i.e., inhibitory control) that underlie healthy eating behavior.…”