
Diabetes-like symptoms, like reduced insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation.Most of the conditions stem from poor glucose regulation.
However, several symptoms and conditions are associated with low serum chromium levels based on animal models and humans on long-term TPN. To date, no clinically defined state of chromium deficiency exists. What Are the Symptoms of Chromium Deficiency?
Low serum chromium levels are associated with symptoms resembling diabetes mellitus. This is because insulin is essential for utilising amino acids in dietary protein. Because of its role in insulin release, chromium has been linked to increased muscle mass. Studies have shown that higher serum chromium levels are linked to lower serum cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Clinically, it is used as an adjunct in high amounts for people with diabetes. Ultimately, chromium is most well-known for its ability to increase insulin sensitivity and improve glucose transport into cells it does so by inhibiting the enzyme that cleaves phosphate from the insulin receptor. However, most of the benefits of chromium relate to glucose and insulin metabolism.Ĭhromium is a cofactor of the oligopeptide chromodulin-otherwise known as low-molecular-weight chromium-binding substance (LMWCr)-that facilitates the release of insulin. We should clarify and highlight that we are still learning about chromium’s roles and interactions within the human body. Additionally, this can give us some indication of which animal foods contain more chromium. Some of the highest chromium concentrations in the human body include the spleen, testes, epididymis, and bone marrow, which could highlight some organs and organ systems that require more chromium. The table below shows the Adequate Intakes for Chromium. Americans ingest about half of that, with women consuming 25 mcg and men consuming 33 mcg, on average. Although we only lose about one microgram of chromium daily via urinary excretion, our recommended intake for chromium has been set at anywhere from 30 to 200 mcg, with 50 mcg being the go-to recommendation. Within the human body, we hold around five to six milligrams (mg) of chromium in our tissues. Unfortunately, this means the research on chromium is sparse! Thus, the Adequate Intake (AI), or the amount of a nutrient that is assumed to be adequate when there isn’t enough evidence to develop an EAR, was used to set our Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). To date, no Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) has been set for chromium (note: the EAR is the average daily intake of a nutrient that appears to be sufficient for 50% of healthy individuals).
Hexavalent chromium (left) and trivalent chromium (right).
Eat foods that are rich in chromium and magnesium movie#
It is not to be mistaken for the hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) that was the troubling compound in the movie Erin Brockovich that was poisoning the California groundwater systems thanks to local municipalities. This allows it to form complexes with proteins and nucleic acids, making it easy for the human body to incorporate. In the 1970s, chromium was recognised as an essential trace mineral in humans when a patient receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) developed symptoms of diabetes when this nutrient was absent from their feeding tube.Įxogenous (injected) insulin made no dent in their symptoms, but supplemental chromium did nowadays, chromium is regularly added to TPN solutions and is recognised for its important role in glucose metabolism.Ĭhromium is often found in its trivalent (Cr3+) form. In 1959, they determined this compound was chromium and that this mineral had physiological action within the human body. In 1957, Schwarz and Mertz noticed there was a ‘glucose tolerance factor’ (GTF) absent in the feed of rats they were studying.