In this trial, type 2 diabetic participants received either a placebo or 1mg of chromium per day. The authors reported that in 40 participants with pre-diabetes, 800µg per day of chromium for 12 weeks did not significantly improve glucose tolerance or any other marker of metabolic health.Īnother study of note that reported contradictory findings can be seen from an investigation published in 2010. One study that failed to note a benefit from chromium supplementation was published in Diabetes Care in 2005. However, it is important to note that not all studies have seen an improvement in markers of glycaemic control, and in their entirety the results are unfortunately mixed. Also, it was found that there was a decrease in fasting insulin, indicating further improvements in glycaemic control. This 4 month long study found that administrating 400µg of chromium picolinate per day led to significant reductions in fasting blood sugar and HbA1c. Similar results can be seen from a study in a type 2 diabetic Asian population. This study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition in 2008, also found evidence that chromium supplementation led to a decrease in oxidative damage – a primary cause of chronic inflammation. In one study of a longer duration (6 months), it was found that in 30 overweight type 2 diabetics, chromium supplementation of 1000µg per day did significantly decrease HbA1c as well as reduce fasting blood glucose levels. Because the 7 studies reviewed were all relatively short term, it comes as no surprise that little change in HbA1c was noted. When looking for improvements in diabetes control, HbA1c is the value of most interest, as it provides an average blood glucose measurement for the previous 2-3 months.
There was also a small, non-significant reduction in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). The review found that chromium supplementation for 3 months to the dosage of 250µg or greater was effective at significantly reducing fasting blood glucose. Now that we have covered how chromium can help insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation, let’s have a look at what results have been shown in published research.Ī meta-analysis of randomised control trials (a study widely recognised as the gold standard of scientific evidence) conducted in 2013 analysed the results of 7 studies that investigated the effects of chromium supplementation in type 2 diabetics. When chromium enters from the blood into the cell, it binds with chromodulin, which subsequently increases the cells sensitivity to insulin, increasing glucose uptake.
#Chromium glucose tolerance factor driver#
The key driver of this benefit is through chromium’s actions on a peptide called chromodulin, which is found within the cells. Through being respondent to insulin, sugar can effectively leave the blood and enter the cells where it can be used to create energy, or stored for later use. But how exactly does chromium help blood sugar regulation?Ĭhromium is thought to help regulate blood sugar by impacting how sensitive the cells are to insulin. Because of this, it should come as no surprise that the interest into chromium is burgeoning, with more and more individuals supplementing with this mineral on a daily basis. In both of these instances, glucose remains dangerously high in the blood which can lead to numerous serious health complications such as heart disease, kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, obesity, amputations and muscle loss.Ĭurrently, over 420 million people worldwide suffer from type 2 diabetes, with this figure predicted to rise to 600 million in the next generation. The pathology of type 2 diabetes is characterised by either an insufficient secretion of insulin – the hormone that shuttles sugar into our cells to create energy, or the cells of the body being resistance to insulin. Given chromium’s role as a glucose tolerance factor, it is widely used by individuals with impaired glucose tolerance or who are diabetic. In this article, we are going to explore the benefits of chromium, how much should be ingested or taken, and what are the side effects of too little or too much of this mineral. Chromium is commonly known as a ‘glucose tolerance factor’ because of its main function in the body.
This trace mineral can be found in relatively small amounts in foods such as broccoli, some meats, seafood, nuts, wholegrains, herbs and spices. Chromium is classed as an essential nutrient because the body does not have the capacity to create it.
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