What is chromium?

Chromium is an essential mineral, just like calcium, iron, and zinc. Essential means that chromium, and other minerals, must be acquired form the diet. The human body cannot make minerals. The presence of minerals is necessary for the body to function normally. Symptoms of deficiency arise when dietary intake is inadequate.

Calcium, for example, helps maintain healthy bones. Calcium deficiency causes bones to soften and fracture easily (osteoporosis). Iron is necessary for the formation of red blood cells. Lack of iron causes anemia. Zinc is necessary for the body to make muscles, skin and nerves. Lack of zinc causes an inability to fight infection and to heal wounds. In children, zinc deficiency causes diarrhea and slows growth.

How does chromium work in the body?

Chromium is necessary for insulin to function normally. Proper insulin functioning is necessary for good health in everyone. Yes, that’s correct, everyone, not just people with diabetes. That’s because the body requires energy to survive and function. Insulin and chromium, acting together, help convert glucose (blood sugar) into energy.

When the body is chromium deficient, insulin does not function normally and therefore not enough energy is made. Glucose backs up in the bloodstream. This leads to a host of problems throughout the body, including risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and depression.

Chromium deficiency

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that most Americans are chromium deficient. Why? That’s because the modern American diet contains very little chromium. Some foods — such as organ meats, mushrooms, broccoli, brewer's yeast, cheese, and wheat germ — contain chromium, but it is almost impossible to eat enough of these foods to correct chromium deficiency. Moreover, the typical American diet, which is high in sugar and flour, causes the kidneys to excrete chromium. In addition, we lose chromium as we age.

Chromium chloride, which is the type of chromium in many vitamin and mineral supplements, is poorly absorbed. It passes right through the body.

What is chromium picolinate?

To overcome the problem of poor absorption of chromium, scientists have combined chromium with picolinic acid. Picolinic acid is a safe, natural substance that is found in the human body, including breast milk. The combination is known as chromium picolinate. The human body can absorb chromium picolinate readily. It is not wasted.

What is Chromax® chromium picolinate?

Chromax chromium picolinate is the band of chromium picolinate made by Nutrition 21, Inc. I have more confidence in Chromax than in any other brand because Nutrition 21 has spent millions of dollars in research that documents the safety and effectiveness of Chromax.

Chromax has been tested in over 20 clinical studies at major medical centers, including Duke University Medical Center, Ohio State University, Johns Hopkins, and the Pennington Biomedical Research Institutes at Louisiana State University. Moreover Chromax® chromium picolinate is the brand being used in six high-profile clinical studies funded by the National Institutes of Health .