Effects of Chromium Picolinate on Food Intake

Inclusion Criteria:

Inclusion criteria are:

1. Healthy female who has not been diagnosed with diabetes, cardiovascular illness, or other chronic diseases,
2. Food craver, determined by self-reported craving for carbohydrates on two out of three validated measures of food cravings,
3. > 18 years of age and < 50 years of age, and
4. Body mass index between 25 and 39.9 kg/m2. Participants will be scheduled for testing during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle to limit the confounding effect of the menstrual cycle on energy intake. We will include women who are taking monophasic oral contraceptives but will exclude other oral contraceptive regimens. Participants with very irregular menstrual cycles will also be excluded because this irregularity will make it very difficult to schedule testing during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

Exclusion Criteria:

Potential participants will be excluded for the following reasons:

1. Participants who report smoking cigarettes will be excluded because of the effects of nicotine upon taste and appetite,
2. Participants who have a diagnosable eating disorder (i.e., anorexia or bulimia nervosa) will also be excluded since intentional restriction of eating and binge eating/overeating could increase the variability of the data,
3. Participants who report using diet pills will be excluded since diet pills may potentially influence appetite, hunger, and/or satiety,
4. Participants will be excluded if they are taking anti-depressant medications, anti-psychotic medications, or any medications that may potentially influence appetite, hunger, and/or satiety,
5. Participants who are not determined to be carbohydrate cravers will be excluded,
6. Participants will also be excluded if they report any allergies to the foods that will be used in the study.