What is chromium? All the benefits and if you should take a supplement

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is concerned about the increased prevalence of diabetes, a chronic health condition that affects how the body turns food into energy. There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes that develops in some pregnant women.

About 1 in 10 Americans live with one of these types, but the CDC notes more than 1 in 3 Americans live with prediabetes - and 80% of them don't know they have it. With prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Like diabetes, prediabetes raises the risk for heart disease and stroke. Though the CDC recommends specific lifestyle changes to reverse a prediabetic condition, many corporations in the dietary supplement market are pushing a mineral called chromium to help with blood sugar regulation.

Despite such marketing, experts say most people get enough chromium from the foods they eat and that the science backing up chromium's additional importance as a supplement is not robust.

Chromium is an essential mineral the body needs, but only in trace amounts. "It is naturally present in many foods," says Carol Johnston, PhD, RD, a professor of nutrition at Arizona State University. It plays a key role in regulating blood sugar levels by enhancing the action of insulin, a hormone that converts sugar and starches into energy the body needs for activity.

Beyond chromium's enhancement of insulin, the mineral is also involved in breaking down and improving the absorption of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, says the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Chromium is also sometimes promoted as a "supplement for weight loss, fat burning and appetite suppression," says Uma Naidoo, MD, director of nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and the author of "This is Your Brain on Food," but again, "the studies supporting this are not thought to be of the best quality."

Beth Czerwony, RD, a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic's Center for Human Nutrition agrees, and says while chromium is an essential mineral to help with blood sugar control, "the American Diabetes Association does not recommend chromium supplementation due to lack of data showing that it benefits people with diabetes or obesity."

Instead of chromium supplements, Czerwony recommends getting chromium as part of a healthy diet. This means eating foods rich in the mineral, including "meats, grain products, fruits, vegetables, and nuts," she says.

Johnston advises to look for "beef, turkey, and ham" specifically, along with the occasional drink of grape or orange juice. Chromium is also present in broccoli, green beans, potatoes, apples, bananas, egg yolks and fish, Naidoo says.

The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements notes that such foods are good sources of the mineral, but advises that the amount of chromium present will "vary depending on local soil and water conditions as well as agricultural and manufacturing processes used to produce them."

While there is not enough data for the Food and Nutrition Board to establish a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for chromium, Johnston explains, an Adequate Intake (AI) has been set as an estimated safe and adequate daily dietary intake for chromium. The AI for men ages 19-50 years is 35 micrograms daily, and women ages 19-50 years should get 25 micrograms of the mineral daily. Men and women older than 50 years require a slightly reduced amount, per Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Because such quantities are considered trace amounts and because most people get enough chromium as part of a healthy diet, taking chromium as a supplement is rarely needed. "And there may be side effects of chromium supplementation," cautions Naidoo. These range from dizziness and diarrhea to headaches and hives. "Chromium as a supplement may also interact with prescription medication you are taking," she adds, "so speaking to your doctor is key."

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