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
100 studies from PubMed
- Chromium in PCOS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Chromium Supplementation and Metabolic Diseases: Evidence from Clinical Trials
- Effects of Chromium Supplementation on Body Composition: A Systematic Review
- Safety of Chromium Supplementation: Evidence from Clinical Studies
- Myo-Inositol in Patients with PCOS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro-Inositol in PCOS Treatment: A Meta-Analysis
- Inositol and Insulin Resistance: Mechanisms and Clinical Evidence
- Inositol and Depression: A Systematic Review
- Effects of Chromium Supplementation on Glucose Metabolism and Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Chromium and Insulin Sensitivity: A Review of Mechanisms
- Chromium Supplementation in Depression and Mood Disorders: A Review
- Chromium Supplementation and Glycemic Control in Diabetes: An Updated Review
- Inositol and PCOS: A Comprehensive Review of Clinical Evidence
- Inositol in Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review
- Myo-Inositol in Gestational Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis
- Inositol and Fertility: A Comprehensive Review
- Safety and Efficacy of Inositol in Clinical Practice: A Review
- Chromium Picolinate in Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials
- Chromium Effects on Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis
- Inositol Effects on Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review
- Effects of acute chromium supplementation on postprandial metabolism in healthy young men
- The effects of inorganic chromium and brewer's yeast on glucose tolerance, plasma lipids, and plasma chromium in elderly subjects
- Effects of resistance training and chromium picolinate on body composition and skeletal muscle in older men
- Effects of chromium supplementation on glycogen synthesis after high-intensity exercise
- Effects of short-term chromium supplementation on insulin sensitivity and body composition in overweight children: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
- Chromium picolinate supplementation in women: effects on body weight, composition, and iron status
- Effect of resistance training with or without chromium picolinate supplementation on glucose metabolism in older men and women
- A pilot study of chromium picolinate for weight loss
- Chromium supplementation and polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- The Effects of Chromium Supplementation on Endocrine Profiles, Biomarkers of Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
- Chromium picolinate improves insulin sensitivity in obese subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome
- The effect of chromium intake on oxidative stress parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Effect of chromium supplementation on hs-CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 as risk factor for cardiovascular diseases: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.
- Chromium Supplementation and the Effects on Metabolic Status in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
- Chromium picolinate supplementation attenuates body weight gain and increases insulin sensitivity in subjects with type 2 diabetes
- Chromium treatment has no effect in patients with type 2 diabetes in a Western population: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Effects of chromium brewer's yeast supplementation on body mass, blood carbohydrates, and lipids and minerals in type 2 diabetic patients
- The influence of chromium chloride-containing milk to glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Antioxidant effects and insulin resistance improvement of chromium combined with vitamin C and e supplementation for type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Chromium supplementation does not improve glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, or lipid profile: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of supplementation in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance
- Characterization of the metabolic and physiologic response to chromium supplementation in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Chromium supplementation shortens QTc interval duration in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Role of chromium supplementation in Indians 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
- 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
- Elevated intakes of supplemental chromium improve glucose and insulin variables 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
- The effects of inorganic chromium and brewer's yeast supplementation on glucose tolerance, serum lipids and drug dosage in individuals with type 2 diabetes
- Effect of Chromium Supplementation on Blood Glucose and Lipid Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Beneficial effects of oral chromium picolinate supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized clinical study
- Potential antioxidant effects of zinc and chromium supplementation in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Antioxidant effects of chromium supplementation with type 2 diabetes mellitus and euglycemic subjects
- Effects of resistive training and chromium picolinate on body composition and skeletal muscle size in older women
- The effect of chromium picolinate on muscular strength and body composition in women athletes
- Effects of chromium and resistive training on muscle strength and body composition
- Chromium picolinate effects on body composition and muscular performance in wrestlers
- The effects of chromium and copper supplementation on mitogen-stimulated T cell proliferation in hypercholesterolaemic postmenopausal women
- Effects of niacin-bound chromium and grape seed proanthocyanidin extract on the lipid profile of hypercholesterolemic subjects: a pilot study
- Lack of effect of chromium supplementation on mental state and body weight in people with schizophrenia
- Effects of carbohydrate and chromium ingestion during intermittent high-intensity exercise to fatigue
- A 2-year, open-label pilot study of adjunctive chromium in patients with treatment-resistant rapid-cycling bipolar disorder
- Effect of supplementation with chromium picolinate on antibody titers to 5-hydroxymethyl uracil
- Chromium picolinate supplementation for overweight or obese adults
- In patients with HIV-infection, chromium supplementation improves insulin resistance and other metabolic abnormalities: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial
- Chromium picolinate for insulin resistance in subjects with HIV disease: a pilot study
- Effects of chromium picolinate on food intake and satiety
- Chromium supplementation for menstrual cycle-related mood symptoms
- A double-blind, placebo-controlled, exploratory trial of chromium picolinate in atypical depression: effect on carbohydrate craving
- Effectiveness of chromium in atypical depression: a placebo-controlled trial
- Chromium picolinate does not improve key features of metabolic syndrome in obese nondiabetic adults
- Chromium effects on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in persons at risk for diabetes mellitus
- Improved cognitive-cerebral function in older adults with chromium supplementation
- Chromium potentiation of antidepressant pharmacotherapy for dysthymic disorder in 5 patients
- Effects of Chromium Supplementation on Lipid Profile: an Umbrella of Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
- A double-blind, randomized pilot trial of chromium picolinate for binge eating disorder: results of the Binge Eating and Chromium (BEACh) study
- Resistive training and chromium picolinate: effects on inositols and liver and kidney functions in older adults
- The combined therapy with myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol reduces the risk of metabolic disease in PCOS overweight patients compared to myo-inositol supplementation alone
- Effects of inositol on ovarian function and metabolic factors in women with PCOS: a randomized double blind placebo-controlled trial
- Differential insulin response to myo-inositol administration in obese polycystic ovary syndrome patients
- Inositol administration reduces oxidative stress in erythrocytes of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Effects of d-chiro-inositol in lean women with the polycystic ovary syndrome
- Insulin sensitiser agents alone and in co-treatment with r-FSH for ovulation induction in PCOS women
- Efficacy of myo-inositol in the treatment of cutaneous disorders in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Metabolic and hormonal effects of myo-inositol in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a double-blind trial
- Myo-inositol administration positively affects hyperinsulinemia and hormonal parameters in overweight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in Indian Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Inositol is an effective and safe treatment in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- Effects of myo-inositol supplementation on oocyte's quality in PCOS patients: a double blind trial
- Myo-inositol rather than D-chiro-inositol is able to improve oocyte quality in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. A prospective, controlled, randomized trial
- Myo-inositol may prevent gestational diabetes in PCOS women
- Inositol for subfertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Myo-inositol treatment increases serum plasmalogens and decreases small dense LDL, particularly in hyperlipidemic subjects with metabolic syndrome
- One-year effects of myo-inositol supplementation in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome
- A phase I study of myo-inositol for lung cancer chemoprevention
- Treatment of hirsutism with myo-inositol: a prospective clinical study
- Inositol for depressive disorders.
- Double-blind, controlled trial of inositol treatment of depression
- Treatment-resistant bipolar depression: a STEP-BD equipoise randomized effectiveness trial of antidepressant augmentation with lamotrigine, inositol, or risperidone
- Inositol addition does not improve depression in SSRI treatment failures
- Effect of inositol on bulimia nervosa and binge eating