Chromium supplementation refers to taking additional amounts of the mineral chromium as a supplement. Chromium is essential for our bodies to function properly, and supplementing it helps ensure we have enough of it in our system.
Full definition
Suksomboon N, Poolsup N, Yuwanakorn A. Systematic review and meta ‐ analysis of the efficacy and safety
of chromium supplementation in diabetes.
In 1997, a Chinese study involving 180 participants suffering from type 2 diabetes found clear and reproducible benefits for
chromium supplementation in diabetics.
However, earlier studies could not confirm that
chromium supplementation reduces blood glucose levels even though they showed that the trace mineral can reduce insulin levels and improve lipid profiles in diabetics.
Because of its trend to improve glucose tolerance, cats most likely to benefit
from chromium supplementation are those with glucose intolerance and insulin resistance from lack of exercise, obesity, and old age; cats with underlying low insulin sensitivity; or cats that are genetically at risk of diabetes (e.g., Burmese cats)(13,14).
Although a larger, follow - up study did not find such strong antidepressant effect
of chromium supplementation, it did find that depressed patients with high carbohydrate cravings did respond well to chromium.
Because only a very little chromium is absorbed while most of it is excreted, acute toxicity is unlikely to result
from chromium supplementation.
Chromium supplementation In 2003, McNamara expanded his focus to include how cows vary in their use of specific nutrients — particularly in the time just before and after giving birth.
The study convincingly showed that
chromium supplementation «upregulated» a number of genes — causing them to become more active — while others were «downregulated.»
Chromium supplementation has been shown to be best suited for atypical depression involving irregular appetite and carbohydrate cravings.
Chromium supplementation has been shown to improve insulin receptor function.
The chromium supplementation can prevent the occurrence of type 2 diabetes in people with insulin resistance.
Other studies have also established that
chromium supplementation can improve certain measures of glycemic control in individuals suffering from type 1 diabetes and steroid - induced diabetes.
A rather curious, but related, health benefit of
chromium supplementation is its antidepressant effect.
This study examined the effects of
chromium supplementation (400 micrograms.d - 1), with or without exercise training, on these risk factors in young, obese women.
Chromium supplementation may affect various risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), including body weight and composition, basal plasma hormone and substrate levels, and response to an oral glucose load.
Based on the understanding that chromium is an essential nutrient and not a therapeutic drug, only individuals with suboptimal chromium nutrition would be expected to respond to
chromium supplementation (65).