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Popular Fitness Supplement Builds Mutation Not Muscle
A popular sports supplement, chromium picolinate, can damage DNA and cause lethal mutations and sterility, according to new research outlined in an article published in a Spring 2003 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paper #6646), and authored by Dr. John Vincent, chemistry professor in UA's College of Arts and Sciences.
The finding may increase doubts about the safety of this supplement, which currently boasts annual sales of about $500 million. Chromium picolinate has become a mainstay among fitness and bodybuilding gurus for purportedly reducing fat mass and increasing lean body mass. However, recent studies have linked the supplement with higher rates of DNA damage and other health problems that could lead to cancer.
Dr. Janis O'Donnell, professor of biological sciences in UA's College of Arts and Sciences, also was involved in the research along with Dion D. Hepburn, graduate student in chemistry; Jiarong Xiao, graduate student in biological sciences; and Sharell Bindom, chemistry undergraduate student.
Seeking to resolve the debate, Vincent and colleagues tested the effects of chromium picolinate on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. When the scientists examined the first two generations of offspring from male flies feeding on chromium picolinate-containing media, they observed fewer male progeny and increased numbers of sterile females. These effects must result from increased numbers of inherited deleterious mutations because the offspring had never been exposed to chromium picolinate.
Vincent suggests, "In light of chromium picolinate's extreme popularity, the supplement should be further evaluated to test its safety or lack thereof."
A popular sports supplement, chromium picolinate, can damage DNA and cause lethal mutations and sterility, according to new research outlined in an article published in a Spring 2003 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paper #6646), and authored by Dr. John Vincent, chemistry professor in UA's College of Arts and Sciences.
The finding may increase doubts about the safety of this supplement, which currently boasts annual sales of about $500 million. Chromium picolinate has become a mainstay among fitness and bodybuilding gurus for purportedly reducing fat mass and increasing lean body mass. However, recent studies have linked the supplement with higher rates of DNA damage and other health problems that could lead to cancer.
Dr. Janis O'Donnell, professor of biological sciences in UA's College of Arts and Sciences, also was involved in the research along with Dion D. Hepburn, graduate student in chemistry; Jiarong Xiao, graduate student in biological sciences; and Sharell Bindom, chemistry undergraduate student.
Seeking to resolve the debate, Vincent and colleagues tested the effects of chromium picolinate on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. When the scientists examined the first two generations of offspring from male flies feeding on chromium picolinate-containing media, they observed fewer male progeny and increased numbers of sterile females. These effects must result from increased numbers of inherited deleterious mutations because the offspring had never been exposed to chromium picolinate.
Vincent suggests, "In light of chromium picolinate's extreme popularity, the supplement should be further evaluated to test its safety or lack thereof."
