Why vitamins?

Chromium - what is it?

Chromium, New RDA* 40 µg

Chromium is present in traces in all organic matter and seems to be an essential mineral. Chromium levels are higher in infants than in adults. The total body content of chromium in adults is 5 to 10 mg.

As a person grows older, he is able to retain less chromium in the body. The concentration in human tissues varies greatly in different parts of the world, depending on dietary habits and on the amount of chromium in water supplies.

Chromium is a greyish-white metallic element. Little is known about the chemical forms in which it occurs in individual foods.

Trivalent chromium is ubiquitous in nature, occurring in air, water, soil and biological materials. Hexavalent chromium compounds are man-made and do not occur naturally in the environment.

*Sourced from EFSA WEBSITE

Chromium - what does it do?

It's thought to influence how insulin behaves in the body, so chromium may affect the amount of energy we get from the food we eat.

Trivalent chromium has been shown to potentiate insulin action and thereby influences carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism.

Deficiency

In humans, deficiency has only been observed in patients on long-term parenteral nutrition. The symptoms observed were impaired glucose tolerance and glucose utilisation, weight loss, neuropathy, elevated plasma fatty acids, depressed respiratory quotient and abnormalities in nitrogen metabolism.

Chromium - Sources

Good food sources of chromium include meat, whole grains (such as wholemeal bread and whole oats), lentils and spices.