The Consumer Guide to Chromium
In this guide...
What is it?
Why is it essential?
Benefits and Uses
Deficiency Risk Factors
Optimal Intake
Food Sources
Safety
Types of Products
Browse Our Wide Selection of Chromium Products
What Is It?
Why Is It Essential?
Benefits and Uses
Daily Requirements
Deficiency Risk Factors
Optimal Intake
Food Sources
Recent Findings
Safety
Types of Products
Reference
Browse Our Wide Selection of Chromium Products
Chromium is an essential trace mineral and the 21st most abundant element in the earth’s crust.
In the late 1950s it was discovered that chromium
was needed for insulin to maintain its effectiveness. Because
insulin is crucial for regulating the metabolism
of proteins, carbohydrates, and
fats, when the body is given insufficient chromium
all sorts of health problems may follow, from blood sugar imbalances to obesity
and diabetes.
In recent years more and more people are taking chromium
to reduce the risk of heart disease,
to help control blood sugar levels, and to prevent hypoglycemia. Athletes and
others have also been turning to chromium
for help in lowering body fat levels, encouraging muscle development, and controlling
hunger and weight. Chromium may
also play a role in maintaining healthy levels of HDL, the "good"
cholesterol.
Most people eat less than the U.S. RDA of 50 to 200 mcg per day for adults. Dietary surveys done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others indicate that 90 percent of Americans get insufficient chromium from their diet. The USDA estimates that Americans consume an average of only 25 to 33 mcg of chromium from their daily diet. (Similar deficiencies have also been identified in England and Finland.) The high incidence of adult-onset diabetes suggests to many doctors of nutritional medicine that most people should be supplementing small amounts of chromium.
Strenuous physical activity increases an individual’s requirement for chromium; mental stress and eating large amounts of sugary foods deplete your body’s chromium stores. Preliminary research has found that vitamin C increases the absorption of chromium.
An optimal daily dose for adults is 200 to 400 mcg.
Most foods are low in chromium; the best food sources are brewer’s yeast (nutritional or torula yeast do not contain significant amounts and are not substitutes) and organ meats. Shellfish, whole grains and cereals, potatoes, and wheat germ may also provide reliable amounts. Foods that have been refined or processed usually lack chromium. Stainless steel scrapings from pots and pans provide much of the chromium in many people’s diets. Some brands of beer contain significant amounts.
Weight control/body composition: Not all studies have agreed, but supplemental chromium may aid weight control and enhance the ratio of muscle to fat.
A 1997 Australian trial in which 36 obese subjects were fed a low-calorie diet determined that supplementation with chromium picolinate—a patented, synthetic chromium compound-increased lean body mass after 26 weeks. Subjects received either placebo or 200 mcg chromium yeast or 200 mcg chromium. After 26 weeks, those receiving chromium showed increased lean body mass, while the other groups still had reduced lean body mass.
The same year, Texas researchers examined the effects of 400 mcg of chromium and exercise training on young, obese women. The results showed that chromium supplementation alone resulted in weight gain. In contrast, exercise training combined with chromium supplementation resulted in significant weight loss and lowered the insulin response to dietary sugar (glucose).
Diabetes: Chromium supplements have been successfully used to treat Type I and Type II diabetes, diabetes in pregnancy, and hypoglycemia. Chromium supplementation has been shown to lower fasting glucose levels, improve glucose tolerance and lower insulin levels in Type II diabetics. This helps to keep blood levels stable, thereby preventing damage to blood vessels and organs caused by high levels of blood sugar. The greatest benefits are seen in those who have severe deficiencies. Chromium acts to increase insulin sensitivity by improving insulin binding, insulin receptor number, insulin internalization, beta cell sensitivity and insulin receptor enzymes.
According to a study conducted by researchers at the US Department of
Agriculture and Beijing Medical University and published in 1997, daily chromium supplements may help control blood sugar levels and insulin activity in Type II diabetics. The study examined 180 Type II diabetics divided into three groups: one group was given 1000 mcg of chromium picolinate, the second was given 200 mcg and the third group was given a placebo. After two months, the researchers assessed blood sugar and cholesterol levels. In the 1000 mcg group, levels were significantly reduced. In the 200 mcg group, it took four months to see a reduction in blood sugar levels and this was not as significant as that seen in the first group.
Chromium supplements have been shown to reduce blood fat levels in Type II diabetics. In a study done in 1994 in San Antonio, Texas researchers found that chromium picolinate supplements taken for a period of two months
significantly reduced triglyceride levels in 14 men and 16 women.
Hypertension: A study on chromium's influence on insulin metabolism found that chromium was able to reduce the blood pressure-increasing effects of high sugar intake.
Hypoglycemia: Chromium supplements may improve the symptoms of hypoglycemia in some people.
Heart disease: Chromium supplements have been shown to improve blood cholesterol and lipid levels in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. In those whose body levels of chromium are low, chromium seems to reduce total and harmful LDL cholesterol levels while raising beneficial HDL cholesterol levels.
In a study published in 1996, researchers assessed the effects of daily supplements of 200 mcg of chromium and nicotinic acid on blood glucose and lipids, including total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. The patients were 14 healthy adults and five adults with Type II diabetes mellitus. The results showed lowered total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose concentrations in patients with Type II diabetes.
Longevity: Animal studies indicate that chromium picolinate supplements can prolong life. This effect may be due to lowering of blood glucose levels similar to that seen in life-prolonging calorie restriction studies.
Osteoporosis: Chromium may help to boost the bone-building effects of insulin and may have a role in the maintenance of bone density and prevention of osteoporosis.
Acne: GTF chromium in yeast may be useful in treating acne, according to the results of one study.
There are no reports of toxicity from average doses of trivalent chromium, the form used to make dietary supplements (chromium picolinate, chromium polynicotinate, etc.). However, there are three areas of concern:
Chromium comes in tablets and
capsules, from 100 to 500 mcg (200 mcg products are the most prevalent). It
is a common ingredient in diet, weight
loss, and fat burner formulas.
Because elemental chromium, like
the chrome plating used on car bumpers, cannot be absorbed by the body, supplement
manufacturers use biologically active trivalent Chromium,
the safest and most stable form of the mineral. The type of chromium found naturally
in brewer’s yeast that may have
the most effect on insulin function is called Glucose Tolerance
Factor (GTF) chromium. GTF is an organic chromium
complex that contains niacin as
well as cysteine and other nutrients.
Chromium polynicotinate is also
a niacin-bound form of chromium.
Some chromium supplements combine
the different forms of chromium. Others include such nutrients as carnitine,
vanadium, and niacin.
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