Chromium is one of the vital trace elements for our body. It is an essential mineral because it cannot be synthesized by the human body and can only be obtained from external sources such as food or nutritional supplements. When taken in sufficient amounts, chromium increases the anabolic effect of insulin, significantly increasing the rate of glucose absorption.
Table of Contents
Basic physiological effects
When taken in sufficient amounts, chromium increases the anabolic effect of insulin, significantly increasing the rate of glucose absorption. If you consume moderate or low amounts of carbohydrates, stock up on insulin. So even if you are on Low Carb Diet (LCD) ,you will have enough active insulin to guarantee growth. The main mechanism of action of chromium is related to the specific protein chromodulin. This oligopeptide enhances the effect of insulin on glucose oxidation. Chromomodulin improves insulin signaling 5 to 8 times.
What are the optimal doses?
Although there is no consensus on the exact doses, the current recommendations for chromium intake are 25 micrograms for women and 35 micrograms for men, and for intensive bodybuilders the dose may be slightly increased. For women who are breastfeeding, a dose of 45 mcg per day is recommended, and for children – 11 mcg up to 3 years of age and 15 mcg up to 8 years of age. The above doses refer to typical daily doses. However, in case of deficiency, higher doses are recommended, which range from 150 mcg to 200 mcg.
Many people would wonder why at these recommended doses, a wide range of supplements is available on the market that contain 200 mcg of chromium per capsule. Many publications even recommend a higher dose, which reaches 1000 mcg per day. The answer lies in the digestibility of chromium. This is one of the minerals with the lowest digestibility. When taking 40 mcg of chromium picolinate, the digestibility is 2%. At 200 mcg, this percentage drops to 0.4%, which means that 8 mcg of chromium is absorbed.
Due to the low digestibility and especially for sports individuals, we can recommend a daily intake of chromium picolinate up to 1000 mcg per day, preferably divided into 2-3 times and taken before meals. At this stage, there are several human studies that confirm that daily doses between 800 and 1000 mcg are completely safe.
Possible harmful / side effects
When taken in the above doses, chromium is non-toxic. But because it regulates glucose metabolism, diabetics need to be especially careful about it. If you have problems with blood sugar, it is best to consult a doctor before using chromium. Do not exceed the mentioned doses – in larger quantities chromium becomes toxic and can cause severe poisoning, including chronic renal failure, liver damage, and rhabdomyolysis – rupture of muscle cells and spillage of their contents into the blood. In case of chromium intoxication, DNA damage is also noted.
Chromium intoxication can be monitored by serum tests. Normal serum chromium levels vary between 0.12-2.1 μg / ml. Any concentration above 20 μg / ml is considered a sign of intoxication. There are isolated isolated cases of kidney and liver problems, but they have been isolated, which means that the people in question may have been predisposed to such problems. The status of rhabdomyolysis is similar.
Which preparations are the main source of chromium?
Chromium is used in a wide range of food supplements. Due to its variety of functions, chromium is found in mineral formulas, multivitamins, fat burning supplements (lipotropic fat burners) and muscle mass supplements. Due to its specific properties for controlling carbohydrate metabolism, chromium is included in formulas to regulate blood sugar or stimulate insulin sensitivity. Chromium is often used to burn fat, but has no thermogenic effect. Therefore, chromium is used in lipotropic formulas or in combination with carnitine.
Chromium can also be found as a stand-alone dietary supplement. The most commonly offered doses are 100 mcg and 200 mcg in the form of tablets or capsules. The most popular form of chromium is chromium picolinate. This is typical trivalent chromium. Chromium picolinate is extremely easily absorbed by the human body and stable in the external environment. For this reason, it can be stored at room temperature. Brewer’s yeast contains a specific form of chromium that is associated with nicotinic acid (vitamin B-3). Known but not so popular forms of chromium are chromium dinicocysteinate and chromium polynicotinate.
Additional physiological effects of chromium
Proven and potential benefits in humans :
- Moderately lowers blood sugar and insulin in people with type II diabetes;
- Potential property to lower bad cholesterol, but this may be due to nicotinic acid in the form of chromium polynicotinate;
- Regulates appetite and suppresses hunger for carbohydrates;
- It may help to suppress depression, but the information so far rather categorizes chromium as an adjunct to basic therapy;
- Slight increase in lipid peroxidation in healthy individuals and decrease in diabetics;
- Potential overall antioxidant effect;
- Slight decrease in fructosamine in the blood;
- Potential benefits for boosting immunity;
- Increases libido, which may be due to the antidepressant effect;
- Potential protective effect on cardiac activity;
- In women with PCOS, it successfully regulates the appearance of acne and hair growth.
Proven and potential benefits in animals
- Increases life expectancy in rats.
Which foods contain the most chromium?
The best source of chromium is brewer’s yeast. Chromium is also rich in corn, wheat germ and bran, broccoli, grape juice, red wine, apples, tomatoes, potatoes and beets. Among the rich sources of chromium is colostrum, with the most serious observations on bovine colostrum. Colostrum contains 220 mcg of chromium per 1 gram of protein. Another rich source is skim milk.
What to combine with chrome?
Chromium can be used to affect carbohydrate metabolism and regulate blood sugar. It can be combined with similar food supplements such as inositol, grape seeds, alpha lipoic acid, cinnamon, hymn sylvestre and others. Chromium is also used to regulate cholesterol, and to enhance this effect can be combined with vitamin B-3, fish oil, linseed oil and garlic. Amino acids and proteins enhance the digestibility of chromium because they form complexes with chromium that make it more resistant to intestinal fluids.
There are also many factors that negatively affect the absorption of chromium. The mineral zinc, as well as phytates from plant foods, reduce the absorption of chromium.
Sources used for chromium For a better Anabolic Effect :
- Yamamoto A, Wada O, Suzuki H Purification and properties of biologically active chromium complex from bovine colostrum
- Trumbo P, et al Dietary reference intakes: vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc .
- Freund H, Atamian S, Fischer JE Chromium deficiency during total parenteral nutrition . JAMA. (1979)
- Jeejeebhoy KN, et al Chromium deficiency, glucose intolerance, and neuropathy reversed by chromium supplementation, in a patient receiving long-term total parenteral nutrition .
- Bagchi D, et al Comparative induction of oxidative stress in cultured J774A.1 macrophage cells by chromium picolinate and chromium nicotinate
- Speetjens JK, et al The nutritional supplement chromium(III) tris(picolinate) cleaves DNA .
- Hua Y, et al Molecular mechanisms of chromium in alleviating insulin resistance .
- Anderson RA, Kozlovsky AS Chromium intake, absorption and excretion of subjects consuming self-selected diets .
- Cerulli J, et al Chromium picolinate toxicity . Ann Pharmacother. (1998)
- Martin WR, Fuller RE Suspected chromium picolinate-induced rhabdomyolysis . Pharmacotherapy. (1998)
- Preuss HG, Bagchi D, Bagchi M Protective effects of a novel niacin-bound chromium complex and a grape seed proanthocyanidin extract on advancing age and various aspects of syndrome X .
- Chen NS, Tsai A, Dyer IA Effect of chelating agents on chromium absorption in rats . J Nutr. (1973)
- Hahn CJ, Evans GW Absorption of trace metals in the zinc-deficient rat . Am J Physiol. (1975)
- Laschinsky N, et al Bioavailability of chromium(III)-supplements in rats and humans . Biometals. (2012)
