No question, it’s been overhyped. The headline of one supermarket tabloid proclaimed "Chromium Pill Will Add 25 Years to Your Life." With dubious promotion like that, chromium’s shine has definitely been somewhat tarnished. In fact, advertisements that touted chromium’s weight-loss and muscle-building talents were exaggerated to the point where several big companies had their hands slapped for false advertising.
Still, this essential trace mineral is vital to health. In fact, the evidence is stronger than ever that chromium deficiency plays a fundamental role in the development of type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. Type 2 is the kind of diabetes that typically affects people in their forties, fifties, or sixties rather than being a lifelong problem. Supplementation, experts say, may partly reverse some of type 2’s effects.
Getting to Insulin and Arteries
In our bodies, chromium improves insulin effectiveness, says Richard Anderson, Ph.D., lead scientist in the nutrient requirements and functions laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that helps our bodies use blood sugar (glucose) by binding to receptor sites on the membranes of cells. This primes the cell in a way that allows it to take in blood sugar.
Chromium improves insulin function in two ways: It increases the sensitivity of receptor sites so that when insulin binds with the site, the cell is strongly activated and takes in lots of blood sugar. Plus, it increases the available number of insulin receptor sites on cells.
Keeping insulin and blood sugar levels normal is important because high levels of either—or both—can cause circulation problems that may lead to clogged arteries.
In studies, supplemental chromium has helped people with glucose intolerance, or insulin resistance, an early sign of diabetes for many people. A study conducted by Dr. Anderson in China showed that chromium supplements can reduce blood sugar and insulin levels in people with full-blown type 2 diabetes.
People with diabetes have a high risk of developing heart disease, but chromium may help reduce that risk as well, says Dr. Anderson. "High insulin levels have a direct damaging effect on the cells lining the arteries, so anything that keeps the level of insulin normal is helpful," he says. Also, since chromium is needed for your body to use fats just as it’s needed to help your cells incorporate blood sugar, it helps clear fats out of your bloodstream. In several studies, people who were given supplemental chromium had drops in total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol and increases in "good" HDL cholesterol.
SUPPLEMENTSNAPSHOT
| Chromium Supplement forms: Chromium picolinate, nicotinate, aspartate, and chloride. May help: Glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes, binge-eating disorder, and high cholesterol. Daily Value: 120 micrograms. Special instructions: Do not take with food or other supplements. Take chromium picolinate, nicotinate, or aspartate; chromium chloride is the least absorbable form. Avoid the form called glucose tolerance factor (GTF), a combination of chromium, nicotinic acid, and amino acids, which may vary so much in composition that it is not a reliable source. Who’s at risk for deficiency: People who eat large amounts of refined sugar and carbohydrates and those who have diabetes, are insulin resistant, or are fighting infection or recovering from injuries. Good food sources: Broccoli, turkey, ham, and grape juice. Cautions and possible side effects: Don’t take more than 200 micrograms a day without medical supervision, although doses up to 1,000 micrograms daily seem to be safe. If you have diabetes or hypoglycemia, consult your doctor before taking. If you have diabetes, the upper limits are 400 to 600 micrograms a day, but have your doctor carefully monitor your blood sugar levels. |
Chrome-Plated Muscles?
Promotions for chromium supplements often imply that chromium can help you lose fat and gain muscle. The reasoning behind this claim is based on chromium’s insulin-enhancing effect. Insulin builds up muscles and other tissues, promotes utilization of amino acids and production of protein, and retards protein breakdown. In theory, at least, this would mean that people getting optimal amounts of chromium would be able to build more muscle than people whose chromium intake was low.
In reality, though, the truth is a little harder to pin down. In some studies—mostly of young, hard-training athletes—those taking chromium supplements sometimes saw some favorable changes in body composition. They had less fat and more muscle than comparable athletes not taking supplements. In a number of other studies, however, supplementation appeared to offer no advantage.
"Now that several of these studies have been done, it seems that the real gains in body composition don’t start to appear until the fourth month," Dr. Anderson says. And even the "real gains" aren’t what the ads might have you expect. You might see 1 to 2 percent more muscle and 1 to 2 percent less fat, with no change in body weight. "For highly trained athletes, that edge may make the difference," Dr. Anderson says.
If you don’t exercise hard, Dr. Anderson adds, chances are that you’ll see less of an effect. "Don’t expect chromium supplements to do as much for your body as exercise," he says. "Don’t think that chromium alone is going to take you from a size 16 to a size 8 dress."
The Short Story
It’s clear that few people are getting the Daily Value of 120 micrograms of chromium. In fact, studies show that the average diet contains about 25 micrograms of this important mineral, and even balanced diets designed by dietitians contain less than 50 micrograms.
Some nutritionists argue that people simply don’t need more chromium than they get from foods—that 25 micrograms a day may be sufficient. Others, including Dr. Anderson, believe that people are less likely to develop diabetes and heart disease if they get 200 micrograms or more—the amounts that were found helpful in his studies. Moreover, he recommends as much as 400 to 600 micrograms for people who have diabetes.
If you are taking insulin for diabetes and you want to start taking high doses of chromium, check with your doctor and make sure that he keeps close tabs on your blood sugar levels, because your insulin needs will probably drop, Dr. Anderson says.
What about trying to help prevent diabetes by monitoring your chromium levels?
Unfortunately, says Dr. Anderson, there’s no good way to test for chromium deficiency. "The only way to find out if supplemental chromium is going to be helpful to you is to try it under a doctor’s supervision and see if it improves your blood sugar, insulin, and cholesterol levels," he says.
Your doctor can get a reading of these levels before you start taking supplements. After you’ve been taking the supplement for a while, the doctor can take a second reading for comparison.
