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Effect of supplementation with chromium picolinate on antibody titers to 5-hydroxymethyl uracil

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Abstract

Recent in vitro studies have shown that chromium (III) compounds such as chromium picolinate, a popular dietary supplement among people trying to lose weight, produce chromosome damage. We monitored levels of DNA damage in a chromium picolinate supplement trial by measuring antibodies titers to an oxidized DNA base, 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HMdU), by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Ten obese volunteer women completed a 8-week course of 400 μg chromium picolinate per day. In either absolute titers or percent of the baseline value, there were no changes in antibody titers at 4 or 8 weeks. The titers were very stable within individuals and those of one individual rarely crossed over others, which was reflected in an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99 (95% confidence interval: 0.96–1.00). There were no effects on glucose and lipid metabolism in this period. The results of this trial suggest that chromium (III) picolinate in a dose typically used for nutrient supplementation dose not increase oxidative DNA damage, as measured by anti-HMdU antibody levels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nelson Institute of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY

    Ikuko Kato, Vladimir Dilman, Jerzy Karkoszka, Krystyna Frenkel & Paolo Toniolo

  2. Biomedical Research Station, Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Inc., Cold-Spring-on-Hudson, NY, USA

    Joseph H. Vogelman, Nancy P. Durr & Norman Orentreich

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  1. Ikuko Kato
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  2. Joseph H. Vogelman
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  3. Vladimir Dilman
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  4. Jerzy Karkoszka
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  5. Krystyna Frenkel
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  6. Nancy P. Durr
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  7. Norman Orentreich
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  8. Paolo Toniolo
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Kato, I., Vogelman, J.H., Dilman, V. et al. Effect of supplementation with chromium picolinate on antibody titers to 5-hydroxymethyl uracil. Eur J Epidemiol 14, 621–626 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007442203258

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