However, authorities in Australia and New Zealand recommend that adults males should consume 35 micrograms (mcg – a microgram is a millionth of a gram) of chromium per day, while females should consume 25mcg per day (6). How much chromium do you need?īecause of the difficultly in identifying the precise biochemistry of chromium in the human body, and levels at which deficiency symptoms appear, there is more uncertainty about the optimum daily intake recommendation than with most nutrients. This means that tables showing typical chromium levels in various foods should not be taken as gospel, but rather more as just a guide. Moreover, due to the very low levels typically present, an accurate analysis of chromium content is difficult to achieve. The caveat to all of the above is that the chromium content in foods is substantially affected by soil levels and agricultural and manufacturing processes. Cooking or preparing foods using stainless steel utensils may add significant amounts of chromium to the diet. Fruits and vegetables are generally unreliable sources of chromium, while refined foods, especially those containing sugar are very poor sources of the mineral. The best dietary sources are meats and fish (eg beef, chicken, liver and oysters) and unrefined whole grains such as wholemeal bread and whole grain cereals. When we talk about chromium in a nutritional context, we always mean trivalent chromium! Hexavalent chromium is harmful to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system, and research suggests that all chromium +6 compounds are potentially carcinogenic. This is hexavalent chromium, with 6 electrons missing – ie carrying a +6 positive charge – the most common compound being sodium dichromate. However, another and much more chemically reactive form of chromium is produced for use in various chemical and industrial processes. This is a chromium atom with three electrons missing – ie carrying a +3 positive charge. Naturally occurring chromium found in the human body and the foods we eat is almost always present as trivalent chromium. It’s important to understand that chromium exists in two forms as trivalent and hexavalent ions.
#CHROMIUM BENEFITS FULL#
Chromium also appears to be directly involved in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, but more research is needed to determine the full range of its roles in the body. Importantly, it is required for the synthesis of a molecule called ‘glucose tolerance factor’ (GTF), which helps the hormone insulin – used to regulate blood sugar and energy levels in the body – to work more effectively in the body (5). Chromium is known to enhance the action of insulin (1-3), a hormone critical to the metabolism and storage of carbohydrate, fat, and protein in the body (4). In certain organic forms, chromium is an essential mineral for human health (but see panel below). Industrially, chromium has many uses but probably the most familiar to most people is that it is added in small amounts to iron to make stainless steel, thereby preventing rust formation.
Most naturally occurring chromium is in the form of an ore called ‘chromite’, from which pure chromium is extracted. Pure chromium is a steely-grey metallic element found naturally in the Earth’s crust at an average concentration of 100 parts per million ( ie around 1 gram in every 10kgs), making it the 13 th most abundant element on the planet.
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