Studies proves chromium reduces carb cravings

Q: I recently read that chromium reduces carb cravings in people with depression. Is there any evidence to support this?

A: Yes. I first made this observation in the early 1990s.

In 1999 my finding—that chromium controls appetite in some patients—first appeared in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry .

In the year 2000—after the appetite of more patients in my practice had responded to chromium—Dr. Robert Golden and I wrote an article in which we stated, "Most of the patients [who responded to chromium) described carbohydrate craving . . . " (p 312). And we commented on chromium's "dramatic impact on normalizing appetite" (p 313).

In 2002, a report of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, conducted at Duke University Medical Center was published. In that article we reported that "Of the eight patients who were overeating at baseline [and who received chromium picolinate], four experienced complete disappearance of the symptom" (p. 262).

In 2005, the results of a study of 113 patients, conducted by Comprehensive Neuroscience, were published. This double-blind study further demonstrated chromium's role in reducing crbohydrate cravings in people with the most common type of depression.