Supplement Label Index

Chromium Picolinate vs. Chromium Polynicotinate

Among 4,926 on-market chromium products with an identifiable primary form, 38.8% use Chromium Picolinate (1,909 products) and 24.6% use Chromium Polynicotinate (1,211).

Chromium PicolinateChromium Polynicotinate
Quality tierTier 1Tier 2
Chromium by weight12.4%—
Share of market38.8%24.6%
On-market products1,9091,211
Median declared dose100 elemental mcg
middle half: 37.2–200
120 elemental mcg
middle half: 50–200
Most common brandsEmergen-C, Vitamin World, vitafusionDouglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Wonder Laboratories

Doses are declared per serving in elemental mcg. “By weight” is the share of the ingredient that is the nutrient itself (e.g. elemental magnesium in a magnesium salt).

Why Chromium Picolinate is tier 1

Produced significantly higher 24h urinary Cr than chloride/nicotinate forms in a randomized crossover; the form used in the positive Anderson 1997 glycemic-control RCT.

Source: DiSilvestro RA, Dy E. 2007, J Trace Elem Med Biol 21(2):120-4, PMID 17499152; Anderson RA et al. 1997, PMID 9356027

Why Chromium Polynicotinate is tier 2

Nicotinate-based forms absorbed better than chloride but worse than picolinate in the same comparative study.

Source: DiSilvestro RA, Dy E. 2007, PMID 17499152 (form-class evidence, not this specific branded complex)

Tiers summarize published comparative bioavailability or outcome evidence for each form (see methodology). This page describes the market; it is not a recommendation to take either form. Talk to a clinician about what's right for you.

Other chromium comparisons