Are there foods which are good sources of chromium?

Q: Are there foods which are good sources of chromium?

A: There are some foods (for example, animal organs and broccoli) that are rich in chromium, but it is almost impossible to consume enough of them to maintain a healthy mood, curb carb cravings and increase energy. Moreover, most processed food contains and sugar contain very little chromium. to make matters even worse, sugar and carbs cause the body to lose chromium.

Several of my patients have consumed chromium-rich foods in large quantities with the hope of relieving their symptoms. But this hasn't helped. They simply cannot get enough chromium from food sources for symptom relief.

To achieve relief, I have found that a person must take approximatly 3 to 5 micrograms per pound of body weight per day of chromium picolinate. To get 5 micrograms per day from food, a 200 pound person would have to consume the following:

Forty cups of raw raw onions, or
Two pounds of broccoli, or
One hundred turkey legs, or
Three pounds of liver,or
Six gallons of grape juice,or
Several pounds of beef.

Obviously these amounts are absurdly large. Therefore, supplementation with Chromax®chromiumpicolinate is the way to go.

Please let me know if this helps.

Should I increase the amount of chromium i'm taking?

Q: Dear Dr McLeod, .

I have been taking 600 mcgs/day of chromium for about 12 days and have not noticed any improvement. Should I increase the amount of chromium I'm taking?

About 3 and a half years ago I gained about 30 lbs,over a period of 3 to 6 months, up to my present weight of 208 pounds. This corresponded to a period of intense stress. Although I am better now, I still can fall into a depressive episode any time. They usually last hours, not days.

My blood lipid profile has always been high total cholesterol (>220), high triglycerides (as high as 700, much lower now thanks to fish oil), high LDL and HDL right at normal.

I'm 57 now. I was first treated for depression when I was about 33 (serious problems started at 20) and have been treated with every antidepressant known, as well as mood stabilizers and klonopin. No antidepressant has helped for long. I have had a few hypomanic episodes but only while on antidepressants.


A: I hope and think I may be able to help you. Here is the short answer:
Make sure you're taking Chromax chromium picolinate. If you don't respond to 600 micrograms per day, I suggest you increase the amount to 1000 micrograms per day, taken in the morning.

Here is the long answer:
Your weight gain of 30 pounds and your high level of triglycerides suggest that some cells in your body may not be responding adequately to insulin, that is, they are insulin resistant. Your pancreas may be trying to overcome the resistance by producing large amounts of insulin. Too much insulin injures some organs in the body. For example, too much insulin causes your liver to convert HDL ("good") cholesterol into triglycerides and it contriutes to weight gain by storing excess carbs as fat. I also suspect that insulin resistance contributes to depression in some people.

If you are indeed insulin resistant, you may require more than 600 micrograms of chromium picolinate per day. Chromium increases the sensitivity of the body to insulin, so that less insulin is required. I suggest taking 5 micrograms of chromium picolinate per day for each pound of body weight.

Make sure that you're taking chromium as chromium picolinate, as some forms of chromium are poorly absorbed. The brand of chromium picolinate I'm most confident in is Chromax®chromiumpicolinate.

In summary, make sure you're taking chromium as chromium picolinate, that you're taking enough of it, and that you're taking a trusted brand.

Please let me know if this helps.

Will chromium allow me to take less Lexapro?

Q: I heard you on Martie Whittelin's radio show. Informative. Thank you.

I am on Lexapro for anxiety. It has really helped, but my doctor and I want to start the withdrawal process. I’ve been taking 5mg and will go down to 2.5 next week…with goal of being off in a month or so. Will chromium help?

A: In Lifting Depression, I wrote about "The Grateful Psychiatrist" who had been taking Lexapro for a year. It helped him somewhat. When he added chromium, he felt much, much better, so much better in fact that he decided to discontinue Lexapro. Within two weeks, however, of stopping Lexapro, he became quite irritable. He resumed Lexapro at a reduced dosage and found that the combination of Lexapro and chromium was quite beneficial and better than either alone.

Please let me know what you and your physician decide to do and whether it helps.

Does chromium help anxiety?

Q: I really got hit 2 years ago with axiety attacks. Am I a good candidate for Chromium?

A: If your anxiety is associated with symptoms of atypical depression (excessive appetite and unexplained exhaustion) chromium might help you. Anxiety and atypical depression co-exists in some people. I did described two people in Lifting Depression: The Chromium Connection whose anxiety, along with depression, seemed to have been helped by chromium picolinate. The chapters are titled "Joseph" and "A Grateful Psychiatrist."

I want to answer your question as fully as I'm able so I relayed your question to my dear friend, Dr. Jonathan R.T. Davidson, who is professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center and a world-acclaimed expert on anxiety. He wrote an article on the occurrence of anxiety in some people with atypical depression. He also wrote The Anxiety Book, which I recommend to you.

Jonathan responded as follows:

"Hi Malcolm,
I concur with your view that atypical depression and anxiety often coexist, especially phobic symptoms but perhaps also generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). I don't know if chromium would help the anxiety part, since our experience is limited. I'd say it's worth a try but that there aren't any data to my knowledge.
Jonathan"

If you and your healthcare professional think it's in your best interest to take chromium, please let me know if it helps or does not help with your anxiety.