Chromium supplementation may benefit patients with atypical depression and strong carbohydrate cravings, according to an article in the October issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice.

The 8-week trial involved 110 adult outpatients (age range, 18-65 years) with atypical depression, a condition characterized by carbohydrate cravings, weight gain and unexplained fatigue. The patients were randomized to 600 mcg/day of elemental chromium given as chromium picolinate (n=70) or placebo (n = 40). The disorder may affect up to 42 percent of the 19 million Americans diagnosed with depression.

The evaluable population was the subset of 75 patients (n=50 chromium picolinate; n=25 placebo) who took at least 80 percent of the study product with no significant protocol deviations. Primary efficacy measures were the 29-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Clinical Global Impressions Improvement Scale (CGI-I).

Investigators found no significant difference between the chromium picolinate and placebo groups on overall improvement on the primary efficacy measures (both the placebo and treatment groups significantly improved from baseline).

However, the chromium picolinate group showed significantly greater improvements in four HAM-D-29 items: carbohydrate craving, appetite increase, increased eating, and diurnal variation of feeling. In addition, members of the chromium picolinate group reporting the highest levels of carbohydrate craving showed significantly greater improvements than the placebo group on overall HAM-D-29 scores.

These findings held true for both the larger intent-to-treat group (65 percent chromium picolinate versus 33 percent placebo) and the evaluable group (80 percent chromium picolinate versus 38 percent placebo).

Chromium picolinate was well tolerated throughout the study and treatment-associated adverse events were minimal and not statistically or clinically different from those seen in the placebo group.

“These results suggest that the use of chromium picolinate may be beneficial for patients with atypical depression who also have severe carbohydrate craving,” said the study’s lead investigator, John P. Docherty, MD, president and CEO of Comprehensive NeuroScience Inc, and adjunct professor of psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. “For years, the link between depression, insulin sensitivity, and the value of dietary chromium picolinate has been hinted at in small studies and this trial may bring us closer to understanding the connection.”

“These findings also suggest that physicians and mental health professionals should be alert to patients who report carbohydrate craving as it may signal the possible presence of a more serious underlying medical condition, such as atypical depression,” Docherty said. “The use of antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics that are commonly prescribed to treat depression can often worsen carbohydrate cravings. A treatment that effectively reduces carbohydrate cravings and has a favorable tolerability and side-effect profile would be a very useful contribution to improve overall health outcomes.”