Chromium is a trace mineral in human nutrition. That means it is essential for health in microgram amounts. Meat fish, cheese and poultry are considered good animal sources of chromium, and spinach, chocolate and pepper also are said to contain reasonable quantities of chromium. Brewer’s yeast also possess high amounts of chromium in an organically bound form called the glucose tolerance factor (GTF). Evidence suggests that the typical Western diet is deficient in chromium. This may relate to low intakes of chromium in the diet due to poor food selection, or it may relate to high concentrations of refined grains, as the latter increases the requirement for chromium considerably. In order for chromium to be present in the diet it must be present in the feed of the animals we eat or in the soil the crops are grown on. Animals and plants deficient of chromium produce low quality foods absent of chromium and the humans that eat these foods become deficient also.
The essentiality of chromium was first showed in animals, where deficiencies of chromium could lead to blood sugar irregularities. Subsequent studies have demonstrated the essentiality of chromium in humans. In humans and animals, chromium is known to potentiate the action of insulin. Chromium was originally thought to complex with amino acids and niacin to form a complex similar to the one in brewer’s yeast called the glucose tolerance factor (GTF). This complex was thought to aid binding of insulin to the insulin receptor, thus improving insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar. However, more recent evidence suggests that chromium may be involved in the release of insulin from the pancreas or may increase the expression of insulin receptors on the surface of cells. In relation to increasing the insulin receptor expression, chromium may enter cells whereby four chromium atoms form a complex called chromodulin, and this may in some way amplify the insulin signal inside the cell.
The ability of chromium to potentiate the effects of insulin explains its ability to lower blood sugar in those with hyperglycemia. It also explain the weight loss effects of chromium reported in some research. However, the weight loss effects of chromium have been inconsistent, and this likely relates to the fact that for chromium to be effective, a chromium deficiency must be present. If chromium status is replete, then chromium will have no effects at improving insulin sensitivity. Only if the insulin sensitivity has been impaired through an insufficient chromium intake will insulin sensitivity improve and fat loss ensue. The ability of chromium to lower blood glucose and improve insulin sensitivity also explains its lipid lowering effects, as these likely stem from an overactive de novo lipogenesis pathway caused by excessive refined sugar in the diet. Evidence suggests that chromium reverses the fatty liver condition that can develop from low quality Western style diets.
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