PURCHASE, NY, September 23, 2008 – Nutrition 21, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXXI), the developer and marketer of nutritional supplements under the Iceland Health^® and Diabetes Essentials^® brands, reported today that results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study published online in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics showed that Nutrition 21’s Chromax^® chromium picolinate significantly reduced hunger levels by 24%, food intake by 25%, and also reduced cravings for high-fat foods in adult non-diabetic overweight women. The study was conducted by researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the largest academically based nutrition research center in the world.

“Study subjects were allowed to eat any type and amount of food throughout the study. The participants who received chromium picolinate reduced their caloric intake by an average of 365 calories per day between their baseline and final (week 8) visit,” stated Dr. Steve Anton, investigator and lead author of the publication. “Not only are these results clinically significant, it is also noteworthy that participants receiving chromium picolinate did not report increased hunger levels despite significantly reducing their food intake.”

James Komorowski, M.S., vice president – technical services and scientific affairs for Nutrition 21, stated, “These results show that Chromax chromium picolinate can be useful for overweight individuals desiring to reduce their food intake. The published study also provides clinical substantiation for reduced hunger and reduced cravings claims for food and supplement manufacturing companies that use Chromax in their formulations.”

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week study, entitled “Effects of Chromium Picolinate on Food Intake and Satiety,” was published online in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, and is scheduled to be released in the October 2008 print issue of the journal. The study population comprised 42 overweight adult women who reported craving carbohydrates. Subjects were administered either Chromax chromium picolinate capsules (containing 1,000 mcg chromium) or matching placebo capsules for 8 weeks. Food intake was directly measured at the research center’s eating laboratory at baseline, after 1 week and again after 8 weeks.

Michael A. Zeher, president and chief executive officer of Nutrition 21, commented, “The results of this study provide substantial evidence of the efficacy of Chromax in decreasing hunger and high-fat cravings. We are pleased that a renowned research center the caliber of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has completed independent research that validates the potential benefits of using Chromax on food intake and satiety levels. This new use can easily be incorporated within the framework of a sensible weight loss program. With a patent covering the use of chromium for reducing food cravings and appetite, Nutrition 21 is, again, in the right place, at the right time with safe and effective science-based products for our customers and consumers seeking solutions to their health care needs.”

About Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center mission is to promote healthier lives through research and education in nutrition and preventive medicine. The Center is a campus of the Louisiana State University System and conducts basic, clinical and population research. The research enterprise at the Center includes 80 faculty and more than 40 post-doctoral fellows who comprise a network of 50 laboratories supported by lab technicians, nurses, dieticians, and support personnel, and 19 highly specialized core service facilities. The Center's nearly 600 employees occupy several buildings on the 234-acre campus.

About Nutrition 21
Nutrition 21, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXXI), headquartered in Purchase, NY, is a nutritional bioscience company and the maker of chromium picolinate-based and omega-3 fish oil-based supplements with health benefits substantiated by clinical research. Nutrition 21 holds more than 30 patents for nutrition products and uses. Nutrition 21’s portfolio of health and wellness brands include: Chromax®,  Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula™, Diabetes Essentials™, Iceland Health® Maximum Strength Omega-3 and Iceland Health® Joint Relief. The company also manufactures private label supplements and ingredients for third parties. Nutrition 21 distributes its products nationally through more than 29,000 major food, drug and super center retailers as well as internationally.  For more information please visit http://www.nutrition21.com.
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