New research shows a common nutrient may be the key to reducing cravings for carbs, sweets and fats - and help you shed those extra pounds - By Colette Bouchez
Do you find it almost impossible to walk by a fast food restaurant without grabbing at least one bag of something greasy, yeasty or chocolaty-sweet? Do you crave it, even when there isn’t a Golden Arches or a Dunkin Donuts in sight?
If so, there’s good news: Researchers reporting in the journal Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics say a daily dose of a specific nutrient could not only help women control cravings, but actually control appetite and get you to lose weight without even trying! Or, at least without feeling the pain.
What’s the magic nutrient? It’s called chromium picolinate and some are now suggesting it could fast become a dieter’s best friend.
“Participants receiving [chromium picolinate] reported decreased cravings for carbohydrates, fast foods, high-fat foods, and sweets over time,” said lead author Stephen Anton.
Moreover, says Anton, they also lost weight – and reported feeling less hungry between meals.
All this is particularly good news for middle-aged women, since the hormone shifts that occur beginning in your 40’s can impact your metabolism in a way that causes you to put on those extra pounds even if you’re not necessarily eating more calories.
If you’ve also battled a sweet/carb tooth all your life, there is some evidence that mid life shifts in reproductive hormones may increase those cravings – much the way they can for younger women in the premenstrual time of each cycle. And that can mean a greater desire for those foods that quickly put on the pounds.
Natural Appetite Control: How They Did It
The new study involved 42 overweight women, with an average BMI of 31, and a self-confessed “craving” for carbohydrates. The women were randomly assigned to receive a daily chromium picolinate supplement or a placebo for a period of 8 weeks – and were told to eat as they normally would.
The doctors measured the women’s daily food intake at the start of the study, after one week and again after 8 weeks.
The result: At the end of the 8-week study period the women taking the chromium picolinate supplement reduced their food intake by 25%, compared to just 8 % in the placebo group. Moreover, the women taking the supplement lost a .5 kg of weight, while the placebo group gained .5kg of weight.
Perhaps most important, the women in the chromium group reported fewer cravings for carbs, sweets and high fat foods - and said it was simply easier to eat less.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine whether chromium picolinate affects food intake in humans,” says Anton.
Chromium is an essential trace mineral that occurs naturally in foods like brewers yeast, lean meats, cheese, and whole grain breads and cereals. While it is known to play a key role in the metabolism of carbs, fats and protein, the human body does not absorb this mineral well. And that means we often don’t get the benefits of even chromium-rich foods.
Chromium picolinate is a specific form of this mineral that previous studies have shown is better tolerate and absorbed by humans. Currently it is only available in supplement form.
The researchers, which hailed from Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, and the University of Florida, suggest that if their findings are validated by other studies, chromium picolinate may become an important weight loss tool and a way to control appetite naturally.
In studies published elsewhere researchers from the University of Cincinnati found that supplements of chromium picolinate also helped increase brain activity and improve memory. In a second study presented at the American Diabetes Association's 68th Annual Scientific Session earlier this year researchers suggested chromium supplements may decrease inflammation associated with diabetes and reduce the risk of heart disease.
To learn more about the study, including the exact type of supplements used and the specific dosages, click here.
You may also be interested in reading:
Women & Exercise: Slow Down!
Visit: RedDressDiary.com - The Healthy and Beauty Source For Women Over 40!
Do you find it almost impossible to walk by a fast food restaurant without grabbing at least one bag of something greasy, yeasty or chocolaty-sweet? Do you crave it, even when there isn’t a Golden Arches or a Dunkin Donuts in sight?If so, there’s good news: Researchers reporting in the journal Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics say a daily dose of a specific nutrient could not only help women control cravings, but actually control appetite and get you to lose weight without even trying! Or, at least without feeling the pain.
What’s the magic nutrient? It’s called chromium picolinate and some are now suggesting it could fast become a dieter’s best friend.
“Participants receiving [chromium picolinate] reported decreased cravings for carbohydrates, fast foods, high-fat foods, and sweets over time,” said lead author Stephen Anton.
Moreover, says Anton, they also lost weight – and reported feeling less hungry between meals.
All this is particularly good news for middle-aged women, since the hormone shifts that occur beginning in your 40’s can impact your metabolism in a way that causes you to put on those extra pounds even if you’re not necessarily eating more calories.
If you’ve also battled a sweet/carb tooth all your life, there is some evidence that mid life shifts in reproductive hormones may increase those cravings – much the way they can for younger women in the premenstrual time of each cycle. And that can mean a greater desire for those foods that quickly put on the pounds.
Natural Appetite Control: How They Did It
The new study involved 42 overweight women, with an average BMI of 31, and a self-confessed “craving” for carbohydrates. The women were randomly assigned to receive a daily chromium picolinate supplement or a placebo for a period of 8 weeks – and were told to eat as they normally would.
The doctors measured the women’s daily food intake at the start of the study, after one week and again after 8 weeks.
The result: At the end of the 8-week study period the women taking the chromium picolinate supplement reduced their food intake by 25%, compared to just 8 % in the placebo group. Moreover, the women taking the supplement lost a .5 kg of weight, while the placebo group gained .5kg of weight.
Perhaps most important, the women in the chromium group reported fewer cravings for carbs, sweets and high fat foods - and said it was simply easier to eat less.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine whether chromium picolinate affects food intake in humans,” says Anton.
Chromium is an essential trace mineral that occurs naturally in foods like brewers yeast, lean meats, cheese, and whole grain breads and cereals. While it is known to play a key role in the metabolism of carbs, fats and protein, the human body does not absorb this mineral well. And that means we often don’t get the benefits of even chromium-rich foods.
Chromium picolinate is a specific form of this mineral that previous studies have shown is better tolerate and absorbed by humans. Currently it is only available in supplement form.
The researchers, which hailed from Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, and the University of Florida, suggest that if their findings are validated by other studies, chromium picolinate may become an important weight loss tool and a way to control appetite naturally.
In studies published elsewhere researchers from the University of Cincinnati found that supplements of chromium picolinate also helped increase brain activity and improve memory. In a second study presented at the American Diabetes Association's 68th Annual Scientific Session earlier this year researchers suggested chromium supplements may decrease inflammation associated with diabetes and reduce the risk of heart disease.
To learn more about the study, including the exact type of supplements used and the specific dosages, click here.
You may also be interested in reading:
Women & Exercise: Slow Down!
Visit: RedDressDiary.com - The Healthy and Beauty Source For Women Over 40!
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