Studies Discover Steroid Alternative, Minnesota Professor Claims at Meeting

A new form of chromium could offer athletes an alternative to anabolic steroids, enable diabetics to use less insulin and cut cholesterol, a researcher said Tuesday.

Gary Evans, a chemistry professor at Bemidji State University in Minnesota, discussed the possible benefits of “chromium picolinate” during a meeting of the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Two studies at Bemidji State found that the compound helped promote muscle tissue and decreased body fat, he said. In one study, football players on the same exercise programs took either chromium picolinate or a placebo.

Those taking the chromium picolinate showed an average 42% greater growth in lean body mass and a 22% drop in total body fat, compared to a 1.06% drop for the control group, he said.

“When used in recommended quantities, it appears that chromium picolinate achieves the results similar to those of anabolic steroids, and that the nutrient is a safe, effective substitute,” Evans said.