Chromium.
This is an essential trace mineral. It helps your body utilise sugar properly and is needed for the breakdown of proteins and fats.
Most people get enough of this in a healthy diet but certain folk may be deficient in it, especially if they eat a lot of refined foods or diets high in sugar, because the latter stimulates the body to lose chromium.
Also chromium absorption decreases with age so as we get older so we may need to supplement it.
How does it work?
Chromium triggers an enzyme that is responsible for one of the first step involved in insulin's attachment to the receptors that allow glucose into the cell.
It is also involved in inhibiting the final shut down of the receptor. No wonder it has been suggested that it plays a part in aiding those with insulin resistance.
Where does one get chromium from naturally?
A few vegetables are high in chromium, such as broccoli and mushrooms.
It is also found in pulses like beans and lentils, whole grain products and wheat germ, meats, like turkey and liver and also processed meats, raw oysters, seedless raisins, roasted peanuts, cocoa, wine and spices.
However most other vegetables, fruit and dairy products are low in chromium.
How can we buy it?
Though chromium is sold as chromium chloride, chromium polynicotinate and chromium picolinate, it is the latter that is the most effective.
Chromium is known for its poor absorption by the body. Absorption is greatly enhanced when it is bound to picolinic acid, which aids in the mineral's take up by the tissues.
There is a very new form of chromium, chromium histidin
(histidin is an amino acid), which is just becoming commercially available, that shows signs of being even better absorbed. (See ScienceNews.org).
Much has been claimed for Chromium Picolinate,
from the increasing of life by 25 years to the decreasing of weight by 100's of pounds.
Like most supplements it is a controversial subject. I intend here only to deal with it's claimed affects on diabetes.
Studies done appear to support the theory that reasonably high doses of chromium picolinate lower the Bg levels and the HgA1c of type 2 diabetics suffering from inadequate insulin synthesis or insulin resistance.
To see a brief account of a number of these studies go to
Also take a look at
How much to take.
The Reference Daily Intake (RDI), as set by the Institute of Medicine, is 120mcg a day.
However researches into the health benefits recommend 200-400mcg a day.
And to confuse things more the amount that showed the best results in the studies was 1000mcg a day.
If you are going to try taking this then I would suggest starting at the lower dose of 200mcg a day and see what results you get. If they are not satisfactory you can then try increasing it slowly.
It has been suggested that diabetics need higher doses because, though they absorb more, their bodies have trouble using it and so more gets excreted. This leads to lower levels in the tissues.
How long before you see results?
It is not an 'instant result' medication. Improved BG's can take between 6 and 12 weeks. Better cholesterol levels may take even longer. Be patient, your diabetes is around for life, you have time!
What it is claimed to do.
1. Reduce blood glucose levels.
2. Decrease insulin resistance.
3. Reduce triglyceride levels.
4. May reduce medication needs.
5. Help in weight loss. See Pennington Biomedical Research Centre.
Concerns.
1. Dosages over 1200 micrograms (mcg) per day may result in liver and kidney damage.
2. Should not be taken during pregnancy or if breast feeding.
3. May cause hypoglycemia.
4. May be contraindicated for people with depression, bipolar disease, or schizophrenia.
5. Some people have had severe skin reactions with chromium picolinate.
6. It has been suggested that high levels of chromium picolinate may cause changes in the DNA, leading to cancer or genetic defects. Such concerns come from studies of hamster cells in test tubes. The concentration of chromium directly applied to these cells in a test tube was 3,000 times that found in the blood of people who are taking chromium picolinate as supplements!
7. Chromium 'competes' with other metals so if taking supplements such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, or calcium it is suggested you take them at different times of the day.
Can one get ones chromium levels tested to find out if one is deficient?
Not really. There are no simple, run of the mill tests for this. So much of the equipment usually used in blood collection, like test tubes and especially stainless steel needles, have high traces of chromium which will contaminate the sample.
And though one could use other equipment there does not seem to be much point as there is no real consensus on what a 'normal' concentration of chromium in the blood is and how it relates to the concentration in the tissues.