Amazing Health Benefits of Chromium - Food and Health

Health Benefits of Chromium

The health benefits of chromium just a little introduction chromium is a mineral that we require in trace amounts but it is not as common as on the other minerals in our body like calcium or magnesium because of that how much we require each day and many of its biological effects are not as well understood or defined it's biologically active form is trivalent or 3 plus which is found in food and the toxic form is hexavalent which is an industrial pollutant and I will of course focus on the dietary form known biological activity of promeo includes enhancement of the activity of insulin a key regulatory hormone of blood sugar which also controls impart the metabolism of carbohydrates fat and protein in our body research also suggests that chromium acts directly on metabolism of carbs fat and protein as well although we don't really know how let's briefly review the potential benefits or uses of chromium researchers have studied the effects of chromium on diabetes some studies have suggested that chromium supplementation reduces blood sugar levels and the amount of insulin that diabetics require other studies have shown no benefit in a study of pregnant women supplementing chromium helps better control their blood sugar ultimately not all studies agree and the magnitude of the benefits are not well established some more research is definitely needed but the early studies are promising that there may be some benefit chromium supplementation has been advertised promote

Weight loss improved lean muscle and reduce body fat studies are mixed to say the least some of the found a benefit while others have shown no effect at all and chromium may help and supplementing probably won't hurt but it is not a replacement for balanced diet and exercise when it comes to weight loss and obesity chromium is a common addition to weight lifting and athletic performance supplements and popular among some athletes and weight lifters there is no convincing evidence that supplementation provides any benefit and more researchers needed to determine if there is one animal studies have demonstrated that chromium supplementation can lower blood pressure although this has not been replicated in humans and more research is needed some studies suggest that chromium may lower cholesterol especially LDL or density lipoprotein one study showed benefit when combined with grapeseed extract and another showed it helped in folks taking beta blockers ultimately the studies are mixed and more research is needed one study found that chromium supplementation improved symptoms of depression but a larger study found that it did not help and so we need to do some more research to see if it helps with depression and finally low chromium levels have been linked to glaucoma but it has not been proven that supplementation of chromium reduces the risk of developing the disease although as many as 90% of Americans may have diets low in chromium actual reports of chromium deficiency are rare individuals most likely to be deficient include elderly super exercisers consumers of sugary foods and pregnant women low levels are associated with increased blood sugar triglycerides and cholesterol and a risk of diabetes and heart disease few serious adverse events have

The link to chromium intake and no tolerable upper limit has been established chromate intake from dietary sources is unlikely to lead to any toxicity but excessive supplementation can lead to stomach problems low blood sugar liver kidney and nerve damage as well as an irregular heart rate chromium is found in a wide variety of foods but most of them provide only a very small amount roughly less than 2 micro grams per serving the best dietary sources of chromium include broccoli grape juice whole wheat English muffins potatoes garlic basil beef cubes orange juice turkey breasts whole wheat bread red wine apples bananas and green beans both dietary chromium and supplement forms of probiem come in various forms although none are known to be superior to others this includes chromium nicotinic histidine 8 picolinate chromium enriched yeast chromium chloride and glucose tolerance factor chromium if you're looking to supplement chromium I would strongly encourage you to talk to your doctor there is no recommended daily allowance due to insufficient research so the National Institute of Health has established adequate intake guidelines for chromium although it will vary widely based on age gender and pregnancy status and women remember that adequate intake based on IH is roughly 20 to 30 micro grams per day if want to remember just one number review the table below and more detail if you want to know more and in summary we can say chromium is a trace but essential mineral found in our bodies it primarily promotes the activity of insulin as well as metabolism of carbs fat and protein although not well researched it may help with diabetes weight loss strength training high blood pressure and high cholesterol deficiency and toxicity are rare and not well documented in the literature the best dietary sources include broccoli grape juice wheat English muffin smashed potatoes and garlic to name a few and there is no recommended daily allowance only adequate intake which is roughly 20 to 30 micro grams per day and adults...