Condition
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder involves repeated episodes of eating large amounts of food while feeling out of control, tied to how the brain handles reward, mood and appetite. Chromium and inositol have the most research, and in small trials binge eating eased with chromium while anxiety symptoms eased with inositol. The evidence is limited for both, and the studies were small, so it is too early to say how well the findings hold up.
Sources: PMID 11262515
- Supplements studied
- 2
- Graded outcomes
- 2
- Trials
- 2
- People studied
- 48
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 3 studies | 24 people | ||
| Depression Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 5 studies | 24 people | |||
Studies that measured depression symptoms | ||||||
| Binge-eating | Improves (the measure goes up) | 24 people | ||||
Key findings
- Anxiety SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- Binge-eatingImproves (the measure goes up)
The Binge Eating Disorder protocol
2 primary supplements · 2 supporting supplements
- N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)1,200–2,400 mg daily (divided doses)
- Chromium Picolinate600–1,000 mcg daily
Studies cited
30 studies from PubMed
- Effects of acute chromium supplementation on postprandial metabolism in healthy young men
- Myo-inositol in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of inositol treatment for panic disorder
- Double-blind, controlled, crossover trial of inositol versus fluvoxamine for the treatment of panic disorder
- Effect of inositol on bulimia nervosa and binge eating
- Inositol addition does not improve depression in SSRI treatment failures
- Treatment-resistant bipolar depression: a STEP-BD equipoise randomized effectiveness trial of antidepressant augmentation with lamotrigine, inositol, or risperidone
- Double-blind, controlled trial of inositol treatment of depression
- Inositol for depressive disorders.
- A double-blind, randomized pilot trial of chromium picolinate for binge eating disorder: results of the Binge Eating and Chromium (BEACh) study
- Improved cognitive-cerebral function in older adults with chromium supplementation
- Chromium effects on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in persons at risk for diabetes mellitus
- Chromium picolinate does not improve key features of metabolic syndrome in obese nondiabetic adults
- Effects of chromium picolinate on food intake and satiety
- In patients with HIV-infection, chromium supplementation improves insulin resistance and other metabolic abnormalities: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial
- Chromium picolinate supplementation for overweight or obese adults
- Lack of effect of chromium supplementation on mental state and body weight in people with schizophrenia
- The effects of chromium and copper supplementation on mitogen-stimulated T cell proliferation in hypercholesterolaemic postmenopausal women
- Potential antioxidant effects of zinc and chromium supplementation in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Beneficial effects of oral chromium picolinate supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical study
- Effect of Chromium Supplementation on Blood Glucose and Lipid Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- The effects of inorganic chromium and brewer's yeast supplementation on glucose tolerance, serum lipids and drug dosage in individuals with type 2 diabetes
- Beneficial effect of chromium supplementation on glucose, HbA1C and lipid variables in individuals with newly onset type-2 diabetes
- Elevated intakes of supplemental chromium improve glucose and insulin variables in individuals with type 2 diabetes
- Influence of chromium-enriched yeast on blood glucose and insulin variables, blood lipids, and markers of oxidative stress in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Chromium treatment has no effect in patients with poorly controlled, insulin-treated type 2 diabetes in an obese Western population: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Role of chromium supplementation in Indians with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Chromium supplementation shortens QTc interval duration in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Effect of resistance training with or without chromium picolinate supplementation on glucose metabolism in older men and women
- Chromium picolinate supplementation in women: effects on body weight, composition, and iron status