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How Chromium Works: Everything You Need to Know About This Powerful Nutrient
Perhaps the least understood of all minerals, you're probably wondering what chromium is and how it works. Chromium is a mineral that helps our bodies metabolize carbohydrates and fats at the microcellular level, and it's an important nutrient. One of the benefits of chromium is that it helps balance blood sugar, and many people say it helps them beat their sugar cravings. Chromium helps lower blood sugar levels by boosting the ability of insulin receptors. 1 In other words, it helps the body use insulin better.
Do you know what the sources of chromium are?
Most of our chromium intake comes from healthy foods like whole grains and fresh vegetables, especially corn and potatoes, as well as fish. Nutritional yeast is one of the best sources of chromium. This mineral is also found in protein powders and dietary supplements.
If you eat a healthy and varied diet, chances are you're getting enough chromium. Broccoli and grape products are foods rich in chromium. 1
Why is chromium so important for people with diabetes?
In healthy people, insulin is a hormone that helps the body bring sugars into cells to be converted into energy. In people with type 2 diabetes (the most common), cells lose their responsiveness to insulin. This phenomenon is also called insulin resistance. In the less common form of diabetes, the body produces no insulin at all. This is the case in type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes.
The most important thing to reduce the onset or progression of diabetes is a radical lifestyle change. Diet and exercise are essential to limit the risks associated with uncontrolled blood sugar levels. But in reality, these lifestyle changes are often unachievable.
Drug therapy used to control diabetes (or slow the progression of prediabetes) often has side effects. In some studies, over-the-counter chromium supplements have shown promising results in obese subjects, improving the body's response to and utilization of insulin. 2
Scientists believe that chromium may improve insulin binding capacity. Some studies have linked type 2 diabetes to low chromium levels. And when participants in these studies returned to normal chromium levels, they experienced a decrease in their blood sugar levels.
A large, multi-year study of 62,000 participants analyzed the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the use of chromium supplements (usually in the form of a multivitamin that contains chromium). Participants who took a chromium supplement were 27% less likely to have diabetes. 3
In contrast, another study noted that chromium may have helped lower participants' fasting blood sugar (typically the blood sugar level upon waking in the morning, without having eaten for eight to twelve hours), without necessarily improving their A1C. 4
A1C is the laboratory blood test that helps determine a person's average blood sugar level over the past three months.
If you don't have diabetes, can chromium still benefit you?
Generally, studies finding a positive effect of chromium on blood sugar levels were conducted on participants who already had diabetes (as opposed to healthy subjects). 5 This could be because a healthy diet provides a large part of the amount of chromium our body needs.
But chromium may still be beneficial for people without diabetes, especially those looking to cut down on sugar or lose weight, as some evidence suggests that chromium can reduce food cravings and appetite. 6
If you are prediabetic or diabetic, consult your doctor for a prescription for appropriate chromium supplements to complement your lifestyle changes. But even if you are perfectly healthy, adequate chromium intake is important to maintain that health.
- ods.od.nih. gov/factsheets/Chromium-HealthProfessional / [ ↩ ] [ ↩ ]
- Hua, Yinan, et al. “Molecular Mechanisms of Chromium in Alleviating Insulin Resistance.” The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, vol. 23, no. 4, Apr. 2012, pp. 313–319, doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2011.11.001.s [ ↩ ]
- McIver, David J, et al. “Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Is Lower in US Adults Taking Chromium-Containing Supplements.” The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 145, no. 12, Dec. 2015, pp. 2675–2682, doi:10.3945/jn.115.214569. [ ↩ ]
- Abdollahi, Mohammad, et al. “Effect of Chromium on Glucose and Lipid Profiles in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes; A Meta-Analysis Review of Randomized Trials.” Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 16, no. 1, 2013, p. 99, doi:10.18433/j3g022. [ ↩ ]
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/76.1.148 [ ↩ ]
- Anton, Stephen D, et al. “Effects of Chromium Picolinate on Food Intake and Satiety.” Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, vol. 10, no. 5, Oct. 2008, pp. 405–412, doi:10.1089/dia.2007.0292 [ ↩ ]