Chromium picolinate for reducing body weight: Meta-analysis of randomized trials

Pittler, Max H; Stevinson, Clare; Ernst, Edzard

doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802262

Cited by 116 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Extensively studied with 2 metaanalyses (Pittler & Ernst, 2004;Pittler et al, 2003) and 1 review (Vincent, 2003). Supportive evidence is minimal.…”

Section: Calciummentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Supplements for Improving Body Composition and Reducing Body Weight: Where Is the Evidence?

Manore¹

2012

International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism

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Weight-loss supplements typically fall into 1 of 4 categories depending on their hypothesized mechanism of action: products that block the absorption of fat or carbohydrate, stimulants that increase thermogenesis, products that change metabolism and improve body composition, and products that suppress appetite or give a sense of fullness. Each category is reviewed, and an overview of the current science related to their effectiveness is presented. While some weight-loss supplements produce modest effects (<2 kg weight loss), many have either no or few randomized clinical trials examining their effectiveness. A number of factors confound research results associated with the efficacy of weight-loss supplements, such as small sample sizes, short intervention periods, little or no follow-up, and whether the supplement is given in combination with an energy-restricted diet or increased exercise expenditure. There is no strong research evidence indicating that a specific supplement will produce significant weight loss (>2 kg), especially in the long term. Some foods or supplements such as green tea, fiber, and calcium supplements or dairy products may complement a healthy lifestyle to produce small weight losses or prevent weight gain over time. Weight-loss supplements containing metabolic stimulants (e.g., caffeine, ephedra, synephrine) are most likely to produce adverse side effects and should be avoided.

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“…Extensively studied with 2 metaanalyses (Pittler & Ernst, 2004;Pittler et al, 2003) and 1 review (Vincent, 2003). Supportive evidence is minimal.…”

Section: Calciummentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Supplements for Improving Body Composition and Reducing Body Weight: Where Is the Evidence?

Manore¹

2012

International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism

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“…26 A meta-analysis of 10 double-blind, placebo-controlled trials provides evidence of a relatively small reduction in body weight (1.1-1.2 kg over 10-13 weeks) in overweight and obese individuals receiving chromium picolinate. 27 This trial was designed to assess the effects of chromium picolinate supplementation alone and combined with a nutrition education intervention on weight loss in both men and women, and to assess any effects attributable to anthropometry (body fat distribution).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Pilot Study of Chromium Picolinate for Weight Loss

Yazaki

Faridi

et al. 2010

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

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Background: Chromium is an essential trace element and nutritional supplement that has garnered interest for use as a weight loss aid. Objective: This trial assesses the effects of chromium picolinate supplementation, alone and combined with nutritional education, on weight loss in apparently healthy overweight adults. Design: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 80 otherwise healthy, overweight adults assessed at baseline for central adiposity measured by computerized tomography. Subjects were randomly assigned to daily ingestion of 1000 mg of chromium picolinate or placebo for 24 weeks. All subjects received passive nutritional education at the 12-week point in both the intervention and control groups. Outcomes include weight, height, blood pressure, percent body fat, serum, and urinary biomarkers. Results: At baseline, both the chromium and placebo groups had similar mean body mass index (BMI) (chromium ¼ 36 AE 6.7 kg=m 2 versus placebo ¼ 36.1 AE 7.6 kg=m 2 ; p ¼ 0.98). After 12 weeks, no change was seen in BMI in the intervention as compared to placebo (chromium ¼ 0.3 AE 0.8 kg=m 2 versus placebo ¼ 0.0 AE 0.4 kg=m 2 ; p ¼ 0.07). No change was seen in BMI after 24 weeks in the intervention as compared to placebo (chromium ¼ 0.1 AE 0.2 kg=m 2 versus placebo ¼ 0.0 AE 0.5 kg=m 2 ; p ¼ 0.81). Variation in central adiposity did not affect any outcome measures. Conclusions: Supplementation of 1000 mg of chromium picolinate alone, and in combination with nutritional education, did not affect weight loss in this population of overweight adults. Response to chromium did not vary with central adiposity.

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“…A meta-analysis included 10 double-blind RCTs (Table 1). 33 The results suggest a reduction of 1. . It was concluded that the data suggest a small 34 effect compared with placebo, which has to be interpreted with caution due to the lack of robustness of the effect, which is largely dependent on a single trial.…”

Section: Mh Pittler and E Ernstmentioning

confidence: 87%

Complementary therapies for reducing body weight: a systematic review

Pittler

Ernst

2005

Int J Obes

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The prevalence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and a plethora of complementary therapies are on offer claiming effectiveness for reducing body weight. The aim of this systematic review is to critically assess the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews of complementary therapies for reducing body weight. Literature searches were conducted on Medline, Embase, Amed, and the Cochrane Library until January 2004. Hand-searches of relevant medical journals and bibliographies of identified articles were conducted. There were no restrictions regarding the language of publication. Trial selection, quality assessment and data abstraction were performed systematically and independently by two authors. Data from RCTs and systematic reviews, which based their findings on the results of RCTs, were included. Six systematic reviews and 25 additional RCTs met our inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The evidence related to acupuncture, acupressure, dietary supplements, homeopathy and hypnotherapy. Except for hypnotherapy, Ephedra sinica and other ephedrine-containing dietary supplements the weight of the evidence is not convincing enough to suggest effectiveness. For these interventions, small effects compared with placebo were identified. In conclusion, our findings suggest that for most complementary therapies, the weight of the evidence for reducing body is not convincing. Hypnotherapy, E. sinica and other ephedrine-containing dietary supplements may lead to small reductions in body weight. However, the intake of E. sinica and ephedrine is associated with an increased risk of adverse events. Interventions suggesting positive effects in single RCTs require independent replication.

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Chromium picolinate for reducing body weight: Meta-analysis of randomized trials

Cited by 116 publications

References 57 publications

Dietary Supplements for Improving Body Composition and Reducing Body Weight: Where Is the Evidence?

Dietary Supplements for Improving Body Composition and Reducing Body Weight: Where Is the Evidence?

A Pilot Study of Chromium Picolinate for Weight Loss

Complementary therapies for reducing body weight: a systematic review

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