What is the difference between trivalent chromium and chromium picolinate?
A. The two most common forms of chromium in the body are trivalent chromium (III) and hexavalent chromium (VI). Chromium supplements come in many forms, never as pure chromium. Chromium is sold as chromium picolinate, chromium chloride, chromium nicotinate, and high-chromium yeast. Nicotinate and picolinate are more easily absorbed than the others. Chromium and Muscle Tissue Daily use of chromium picolinate enhances muscle sensitivity to insulin in obese, insulin-resistant rats. Specifically, chromium improves the ability of insulin, after attaching to muscle cells, to enhance chemical signals in the cell that promoted blood sugar uptake. Chromium picolinate helps insulin receptor sites on muscle cells work more efficiently. Insulin receptors on the outer part of a cell allow the cell to bind with insulin in the blood. When the cell and insulin bind, signals within the cell activate “glucose transporters” so that the cell can then take up glucose from the blood and use it for energy. T
