Test Your Knowledge

1. It is recommended that a 65 year old woman get ______mcg of chromium per day.
A. 15-25
B. 40-50
C. 20-30
D. 65-75

2. What's the best form of chromium to be taken as a supplement?
A. Chromium Picolinate
B. Chromium Oil
C. Chromium Cr6+
D. Chromium Palinate

3. What does chromium help regulate in the body?
A. Cholesterol
B. Blood sugar
C. Blood Pressure
D. Serotonin

4. Which form of chromium is found in foods?
A. Chromium Picolinate
B. Chromium Cr6+
C. Chromium Divalent
D. Chromium Trivalent

Diseases and Deficiencies

On Average the American diet is chromium deficient, only 1 out of 10 Americans get enough chromium in their diet. There are many different reasons that this could happen, just to name a few: the form that chromium is in the foods we eat, is not easily absorbed, people are not consuming enough foods rich in chromium, the contents of chromium is easily destroyed while cooking or preparing the different foods, also the foods that contain chromium are not usually eaten in huge amounts in the American Diet. Another reason for deficiency is high amounts of sugar in your diet can cause a loss of chromium in the body. This can lead to problems with stabilization of blood sugar levels. Having a lack of chromium in our soil is also a cause for the foods that we are eating to not have a very high chromium content. Having a deficiency can lead to anxiety, fatigue and glucose intolerance (especially people with diabetes), inadequate amino acid metabolism will occur as well.
An excessive amount of chromium can lead to toxicity symptoms which are dermatitis, GI ulcers ,kidney and liver impairment. As stated before in earlier blog posts, the best way to consume chromium is through supplementation. Chromium Picolinate is the best form for supplementation is it readily absorbed by the body and will help insulin be more efficient in its job with getting glucose into the cells to be used for energy.

* Balch,Phyllis Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3rd Edition 2000; 27

Biochemical Reaction of Chromium

chromium helps with glucose metabolism by enhancing the effects of insulin. Through research it has been suggested that a low-molecular-weight chromium-binding substance (LMWCr) may enhance the response of the insulin receptor to insulin. The first step involves the conversion of the inactive form of the insulin receptor into the active form by binding insulin. This will stimulate chromium into the cell and it'll bind to the peptide, apoLMWCr, a form of the LMWCr, which lacks chromium. LMWCr will then bind to the insulin receptor and enhances its tyrosine kinase activity. For LMWCr to activate the insulin receptor dependents on its chromium content. If insulin levels drop the LMWCr will be released from the cell to terminate its effects.

Jane Higdon, Ph.D. Chromium. 2003. Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University.