Content area
Full text
Chromium Picolinate Market Sees Robust Growth and High Demand
THE INCREASING Use of chromium picolinate in dietary supplements and other nutritional products is driving market growth for that compound. The results of clinical trial studies demonstrate the ingredient's health benefits, and demand is strong for products that contain chromium picolinate.
Generally, only small amounts of chromium picolinate are used by the food industry because chromium is a trace element found at low levels in the blood. Industry sources emphasize that chromium is an essential mineral for metabolism and is needed by the body for the normal metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and protein. Chromium picolinate is the most bioavailable source of the mineral and also one of its safest forms.
Growth in this market has been strong recently, says Gerald Shapiro, CFO of Purchase, N.Y.-based AMBI Inc. AMBI's subsidiary, Nutrition 21, supplies chromium picolinate to the US market.
According to San Francisco, Calif.-based SPINS and AC Nielsen, for the 12 months that ended in November 1999, retail sales of chromium picolinate-containing products totaled nearly $494 million in mainstream stores (supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers) and $10.7 million in natural food stores.
The market's dramatic growth is based on research findings. "Chromium picolinate has strong science behind it and in well-controlled clinical studies has been shown to reduce cholesterol and control glucose levels," says a report by analysts at...