chromium picolinate may help memory

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Drug may help memory, UC study shows

BY PEGGY O'FARRELL | POFARRELL@...

A supplement used by diabetics to help regulate their blood sugar might ease memory decline in older adults, new research from the University of Cincinnati shows.

More research is needed to see if the results of the small pilot study can be replicated in a larger pool of subjects, said lead author Krikorian, an associate professor of psychiatry.

The 12-week study followed 21 older adults with early memory changes - not Alzheimer's or dementia - as they took either 1,000 micrograms of chromium picolinate or a placebo daily.

The adults who took the supplement showed improvements in memory and motor function in tests administered at the end of the study, compared to those who took the placebo.

A subset of the adults who participated also performed memory tests during functional magnetic resonance imaging scans.

The scans showed greater activity in areas of the brain associated with memory function in the adults who took the chromium supplement.

Adults who took the placebo didn't show increased activity on the brain scans, Krikorian said.

While the implications of Krikorian's research are intriguing, he stressed that there's nothing in his findings to indicate that chromium picolinate might prevent or alleviate Alzheimer's disease or other age-related forms of dementia.

The next step for researchers will be to repeat the experiment in a larger group of older adults to see if they can repeat the results, he said.

The findings are interesting, he said, "because if there are interventions that can help with these memory changes, this might be the last point at which something can be effective."

Diabetics and people with pre-diabetic insulin resistance use chromium picolinate supplements to improve blood sugar control.

When glucose isn't properly metabolized, patients are at greater risk for a number of related ailments, including memory loss and dementia.

Insulin resistance has been linked to some of the physiological changes associated with Alzheimer's disease.

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