Chromium
Information
Chromium Information
By: Dr. George Obikoya
This mineral helps the hormone insulin work more
efficiently, making it an especially important nutrient for people
who have type 2 Diabetes or are at risk for developing it. Insulin
usually helps lower blood sugar levels, but if you have type 2 Diabetes,
your insulin is less effective. In fact, some cases of type 2 diabetes
are actually triggered by a chromium deficiency. Chromium's effect
on insulin may also help you lose weight. Studies show that it can
help you hold on to muscle while shedding fat but as with most diets,
don’t expect immediate results. Chromium picolinate is thought to
be its best form to take for weight loss purposes.
Chromium has been used for diabetes, high cholesterol and low blood
sugar (hypoglycemia) and is backed by a great deal of scientific
research. There may also be some benefit for high triglyceride levels
and insulin resistance syndrome. Chromium has also been used for
weight loss, to increase athletic performance and depression.
Most people need 50 to 200 mcg daily. If you have diabetes or a
pre-diabetic condition, take 200 mcg two or three times a day. For
best absorption, take chromium in either a liquid multivitamin,
or a separate supplement (ignore the amount in your multivitamin),
and take it at a different time than your multi. If you take diabetes
medication, talk to your doctor; chromium may reduce your need for
these medications.
Chromium is an essential nutrient with many natural sources, including
foods like liver, American cheese, brewer's yeast, and wheat germ.
Many meats, fish, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables, especially
carrots, potatoes, and spinach are also good sources, as are alfalfa,
brown sugar, molasses, and animal fats.
A small percentage of people who are chromium-deficient typically
have type 2 Diabetes. While chromium supplements have been shown
to help improve insulin levels, there are no good tests available
to indicate which patients will benefit from it. However, chromium
has few side effects and is considered safe at dosages up to 1,200
micrograms daily. Chromium may have some benefits for triglycerides
and cholesterol levels, but studies in the report were small, and
improvements could be better. Some reports suggest that chromium
helps to augjment bodybuilding and postmenopausal maintenance of
bone loss, although this needs peer-reviewed research findings to
reach firm conclusions. Chromium is an essential trace mineral that
also assists the body in maintaining normal blood sugar levels.
Chromium may also play a role in increasing HDL ("good")
cholesterol, while lowering total cholesterol levels.
Chromium picolinate is popular and has been reported to be useful
for weight loss and muscle growth, a supplement that helps you lose
body fat. In the early 1990s, several small studies suggested that
athletes undergoing weight-training programs lost more fat and gained
more muscle when they took daily supplements of 200 micrograms of
chromium picolinate (CP). Chromium alone is a mineral; chromium
picolinate is a form that's thought to enter cells more easily.
The reports of Chromium's effect on weight loss seems plausible
to many researchers because of the role that chromium plays in the
body, helping to keep insulin levels within the normal range. Insulin,
of course, regulates blood sugar and fat levels as well as stimulating
protein synthesis in muscles. Insulin also boosts carbohydrate metabolism,
causing the body to burn glucose rather than store it as body fat.
However, numerous studies since then have concluded that chromium
picolinate must have little effect, if at all on the proportion
of fat to lean tissue. Recently there has also been great interest
in chromium regarding its effect on depression. Chromium is a trace
element. Trace elements are metals, such as zinc or copper found
in very small amounts in the human body and are necessary, if not
vital for various vital functions. It has been known for many years
that chromium is essential for the way our bodies handle sugar.
Chromium deficiency makes it hard for cells and tissues to make
use of glucose, a simple sugar. This problem is especially serious
in people with diabetes, in which deficiency of the hormone insulin
already creates problems with high blood sugar. But the role of
chromium in depression is just now emerging. A recent study investigated
the use of chromium in five patients with a chronic form of mild
depression called dysthymia. In one case, a patient who had not
responded well to a Prozac-type antidepressant decided on his own
to add chromium to his medication. Within a few days he was feeling
dramatically better. Other case studies support the beefits of Chromium
for moderate depression.
Several other cases also seemed to show marked improvement when
chromium was added to the patients' regular antidepressant medication.
The explanation for this effect is not entirely clear as yet. While
such case reports are intriguing, they must be viewed with some
skepticism. Large-scale, controlled studies must be conducted before
anyone with chronic depression should rush out and demand to be
started on chromium. Generally speaking, it wouldn't hurt to at
least give it a try for moderate depression.
A good multivitamin is the foundation of health
and nutrition. Take a look at our scientific reviews of many of
the popular brands for factors such as ingredients, areas of improvement,
quality level, and overall value. If you are looking for a high
quality liquid multivitamin, we suggest that you take a look at
the Multivitamin
Product Comparisons.
VITAPLEN COMPLETE™ contains a patented AquaMin(TM) Trace Minerals Complex and 165 scientifically formulated nutrients--all in a highly absorbable liquid formula.
|
