Effects of a Plant-Derived Chromium Nutrient Supplement on Body Composition Following Four Weeks of Diet and Exercise

Effects of a Plant-derived Chromium Nutrient Supplement on Body Composition Following FourWeeks of Diet and Exercise

W.W.K. Hoeger, A. Schneider, B.R. Hagemann, and E.M. Long. Boise State University, Boise, ID

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of four weeks of chromium supplementation combined with diet and exercise on body composition. Eighty-eight (n=88) subjects were assigned to three experimental groups. Twenty (20) subjects were given the plant-derived dietary supplement LeafBrand Chromium® (LBC, 330 mcg.d^-1), 38 subjects were given chromium picolinate (CP, 400mcg.d^-1), and 30 subjects were given a placebo (PL). Hydrostatic weighing was used to assess changes in body composition. All three groups reduced caloric intake to 1,500 Kcal.d^-1 and exercised between 60-80% of predicted HR_max 5 d.wk^-1 for 45 min.d^-1. The following variables were analyzed: body weight (BW), percent body fat (PF), fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM), and body mass index (BMI). All three groups lost about 3.4 kg of BW. PF decreased by 3.04, 2.04, and 1.45 in the LBC, PC, and PL groups respectively. FM loss was greatest in the LBC group at 3.77 kg, followed by the PC group with 3.13 kg, and the PL group with 2.65 Kg. The LBC group gained .45 kg of FFM, whereas the CP and PL groups lost .32 and .79 kg respectively. All three groups decreased BMI by 1.21 kg/m^2. A MANCOVA yielded significant differences (p<.05) among groups. Follow-up ANCOVAs showed differences (p<.05) between: (a) the LBC and the PL groups in PF, FM, and FFM; (b) the LBC and the CP groups in PF; and (c) the CP and PL groups in PF. No significant differences (p>.05) between any of the groups were found in weight loss or BMI. The addition of a chromium supplement during a four-week diet and exercise weight loss program enhanced the rate of fat loss and produced favorable changes in body composition. The plant-derived chromium (LBC) supplement was more effective than the synthetic version (CP) in producing positive changes. Further, the LBC group was the only group that did not lose FFM on this program. The findings of this study could not have been detected if body weight or BMI had been used as the only criteria to ascertain the beneficial effects of short-term chromium supplementation.