Having diabetes and constantly managing your blood sugar, or glucose, can be draining and affect your lifestyle. While chromium is a mineral in a variety of foods in your diet, in some cases you may need to add a supplement. Adding a chromium supplement may help stabilize your blood sugar, since it works by enhancing insulin in your body. Before you decide to take chromium, talk with your physician to ensure it is a good fit for you.
How it Works
In its biologically active state, chromium aids in glucose metabolism by helping insulin work better. Insulin is a hormone that regulates how much glucose goes in and out of cells, while glucose is the primary source of energy for all cells. When you have type 1 diabetes, your body doesn't have enough insulin, requiring you to take insulin injections. Having type 2 or gestational diabetes means that you may have enough insulin in your body, but it might not work properly, making your blood sugar go up and down. Chromium may boost the efficacy of insulin, allowing your blood sugar to stabilize.
How Much
As healthy adults, women need 20 mcg of chromium daily, while men need 30 mcg, the Linus Pauling Institute reports. If you are pregnant, this amount increases to 30 mcg or 45 mcg if you are breastfeeding. Chromium supplements often provide chromium III, which is the most active form in humans. Additionally, chromium nicotinate and chromium picolinate forms of chromium III may be easier for your body to absorb than other types of chromium supplements. You can also increase your intake of chromium-rich foods, such as broccoli, turkey, ham, potatoes, grape juice, bananas and some fortified breakfast cereals.
Possible Benefits
Being overweight may contribute to uncontrollable blood sugar levels. Chromium histidinate, another form of chromium supplement, may help your weight loss efforts by reducing your risk of obesity, according to researchers at the Firat University in Turkey and published in the "Nutrition & Metabolism" journal in 2011. While the study was conducted on rats, researchers concluded that chromium histidinate may help reduce obesity, thus possibly reducing blood glucose concentrations.
Too Much Chromium
Researchers at the Birthright Genetic Clinic and Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in India published information in the "Medical Hypothesis" journal in 2011, stating that you may get too much chromium in your diet by using stainless steel utensils. Chromium undergoes a chemical and activation process called chelation when chromium-rich foods are stored in stainless steel containers. When this occurs, you ingest the excess chromium, elevating chromium levels in your blood. This may result in hyperinsulinemia, or elevated insulin, as well as insulin resistance, making your blood glucose levels unstable and increasing your risk of type 2 diabetes. Since you may be getting adequate levels of chromium through your diet, you may not need an additional supplement.
References
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; Impact of Chromium Histidinate on High Fat Diet Induced Obesity in Rats; M. Tuzcu, et al.; May 2011
- "Medical Hypothesis"; Is Chromium From Stainless Steel Utensils Responsible for Epidemic of Type 2 Diabetes?; P.S. Gambhir and M.A. Phadke; July 2011
- Linus Pauling Institute; Chromium; Jane Higdon, Ph.D; April 2003
