NUTRITION 21 RESPONSE TO UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY STUDY

September 3, 2004

CHROMIUM IS SAFE

The safety of dietary chromium is well established. Chromium is an essential trace mineral required for normal insulin and glucose metabolism, and is available in foods and supplements as trivalent chromium.

University of Sydney researchers have recently attempted to raise concerns about the safety of commercially available forms of dietary chromium. The authors have proposed a new mechanism of action for chromium and have recently reported their test-tube findings in the journal, Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The authors’ conclusions contradict the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board’s (FNB) recognition of chromium as an essential trace mineral with a recommended  Daily Value of 120 mcg for good health.

According to Richard Anderson, PhD, CNS, FACN, Lead Researcher, US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Requirements & Functions Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center,  “Trivalent chromium, the form of chromium found in food and supplements, is considered one of the least toxic nutrients.”

Chromium picolinate is the most popular and widely researched chromium supplement available to consumers. “The overwhelming preponderance of scientific evidence indicates that chromium picolinate is a safe and beneficial nutritional supplement,” adds Anderson.

John Hathcock, PhD, Vice President-International and Scientific Affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, Washington, D.C., notes “The safety of chromium picolinate is apparent when the vast array of peer-reviewed literature on chromium picolinate is considered, including genotoxic assays, long-term studies in rats and clinical studies with human subjects.”

“The National Academies’ Food and Nutrition Board Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) committee that reviewed chromium found little evidence of carcinogenicity in humans or animals after oral consumption of chromium III,” notes Hathcock. “The report concluded that ‘No adverse effects have been convincingly associated with excess intakes of chromium from food or supplements…’ ”

About Nutrition 21

Nutrition 21 is a nutrition bioscience company that develops and markets chromium-based supplements with health benefits substantiated by clinical research. Nutrition 21’s Chromax^® chromium picolinate is the form of the essential mineral developed by the USDA and used as an ingredient in most nutritional supplements.

 www.nutrition21.com