Chromium is essential for certain enzymes, synthesis of proteins, supporting the pancreas and balancing of blood sugar.

Life-created GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor) Chromium is important to avoid toxicity and assure assimilation and utilization. The typical diet in North America falls short due to soil deficiencies. Beets and Nutritional Yeast are rich sources. Did you know that outside the USA, one popular form of manufactured chromium supplement (picolinate) is held in very low regard, while French studies of the Life-Created GTF form of Chromium found that the more they tried to overdose their lab animals with the GTF form, the longer they lived?

Chromium picolinate (actually, just about any sort of chromium will do!), is effective in controlling carbohydrate cravings. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence that this miracle supplement will help build lean muscle and burn fat as claimed in many advertisements. Research conducted on overweight volunteers given Chromium Picolinate for 72 days, but following no particular diet or exercise regime, were shown to have lost an average of just over 4 pounds of fat while also gaining 1.4 pounds of lean muscle. Therefore, for anyone wishing to lose weight, adding the recommended dosage of Chromium Picolinate can aid in weight loss and lead to desirable results.

Chromium is an essential trace mineral that is found in tiny amounts in the typical diet. In fact, it’s estimated that nearly 90% of North Americans are deficient in chromium. Chromium plays an important part in insulin function – it helps insulin regulate blood sugar levels. It’s also involved in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism. If you experience uncontrollable cravings for sweet or sugared foods, have periods of fatigue or irritability, or have difficulty concentrating throughout the day… You’re probably insulin resistant, or hypoglycemic. Basically, this means the body has difficulty dealing with vast amounts of blood sugar that are released quickly into the bloodstream as a result of the typical North American diet – one filled with refined sugars and flours, saturated fats, and highly processed foods.

This means the body is primed to store calories/glucose as fat. To address this, eliminate junk foods, processed foods, and highly refined foods (including white breads, pastas, etc.), and replace them with high fiber grains, beans, and vegetables. Eat many small meals throughout the day, and frequently include a lean protein source (like chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef) with your meal. Chromium, a trace mineral, is essential to the body’s production of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that stabilizes the body’s blood sugar level. Research shows that chromium is an essential part of our diet. It can have many beneficial results when supplemented.

It enhances insulin’s effect in the body, improving the uptake of glucose, thereby causing better blood circulation and maintenance of blood sugar level. Evidence also supports chromium’s ability as a cholesterol and atherosclerosis fighter. Gaining energy, burning fat, and building muscle with greater ease are attributed to chromium, to name a few. It assists the body in losing weight by helping it to build muscle to replace fat. Lowering body fat and increasing lean body mass are just a few of the positive properties that chromium exhibits on the body. Research shows that supplementation also has some age-slowing effects and therefore can increase the lifespan!

Role of Chromium in your body:

1. Glucose Tolerance Factor Chromium is involved in maintaining blood sugar levels and energy levels.
2. Cholesterol regulation
3. Other possible roles involved in the synthesis of DNA.

Functions of Chromium:

Circulatory – serum cholesterol regulation,
Digestive – sugar and carbohydrate utilization (via insulin),
Nervous – maintenance of the nervous system by regulation of blood sugar,
Eyes – corneal clarity,
Muscular – supplies energy for muscular contraction,
Skeletal – essential component of bones and hair,
Protective – immune system (via insulin),
Metabolic – fat, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism regulation

Chromium Deficiency Symptoms: atherosclerosis, fatigue, depressed growth, hypoglycemia, elevated serum, cholesterol levels, diabetes

Chromium Excess Symptoms: asthma, allergies, calcium deficiency, causes iron deficiency, diarrhea, kidney damage, sinusitis, ulcers, vomiting

Synergetic Nutrients: insulin, glucose, magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc, manganese, oxalates, salicylates

Antagonistic Nutrients: Absorption – iron, manganese, zinc, vanadium, phytates, Metabolic – glucagon

High Hair Chromium: a high chromium level is often indicative of a loss of chromium through the hair, and is frequently caused by iron toxicity or another mineral imbalance problem.

Low Hair Chromium: supplementing with chromium when the chromium reading is low, is frequently helpful in correcting symptoms of fatigue, or sugar and carbohydrate intolerance. Excessive iron intake is a frequent cause of both high and low chromium levels.

Sources:

Seafood – oysters
Nuts/seeds – peanuts
Fruit – grape juice
Grains – wheat and wheat germ
Miscellaneous – brewer’s yeast, black pepper, molasses

The Effects of Chromium on Personality

Key Words: Energizer, blood sugar stabilizer
Low Chromium: mood swings, fatigue, craves sweets
High Chromium: usually is a loss of chromium (a chromium deficiency), but toxicity can occur.