Serum cholesterol reduction by chromium in hypercholesterolemic rats.

The addition of chromium (III) to the drinking water of rats in a normal laboratory environment on a hypercholesterolemic diet resulted in lower serum cholesterol concentrations whether the dietary carbohydrate was either sucrose or starch. However, rats fed the sucrose diet with chromium in drinking water had serum cholesterol concentrations similar to those of rats fed the starch diet without chromium in drinking water.