Results of a new pilot study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that daily supplementation with 1,000 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate significantly enhanced insulin sensitivity. These initial results offer a potential new nutritional therapy for approximately 2 million American women suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

PCOS is a little-understood hormonal condition that is a leading cause of infertility, and is associated with insulin resistance, gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

In an effort to build on limited PCOS treatment options, researchers at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, analyzed the effects of nutritional supplementation with chromium in the form of Chromax chromium picolinate on six women with PCOS. Results showed that glucose disposal rate (insulin sensitivity) was significantly increased by an average of 35% after two months of treatment, and baseline insulin levels decreased by 22%.

"Chromium picolinate, which has positive effects on insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes, looks like it has great potential as a safe, effective long-term therapy to fill a void in treating PCOS," said Michael L. Lydic, assistant professor at SUNY Reproductive Endocrinology Division, who led the study. "If larger, controlled trials confirm chromium picolinate's efficacy, PCOS patients could potentially take the supplement every day to decrease their risk of diabetes and possibly improve other physical and symptomatic effects of PCOS. It also has potential to be used in combination with prescription insulin-sensitizing drugs."

Today there is no FDA-approved drug specifically to treat PCOS. Some doctors prescribe insulin-sensitizing agents, such as metformin, however, many women experience unwanted side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and loss of appetite, making ongoing treatment for insulin resistance prohibitive. Dr. Lydic added, "Our goal is to explore potential long-term therapies to bring insulin resistance under control and decrease risk of diabetes. Ideally, we hope to compare chromium picolinate with metformin in a clinical setting."