Chromium

Scientific studies on the relationship between diet/nutrients and sport performance:
A review article of randomized, placebo-controlled double blind clinical trials (RCTs) will answer the following question:
"Do taking dietary supplements make sense?" Yes for a positive conclusion and no for a negative conclusion.

A review article of cohort studies or case-control studies will answer the following question:
"Should I change my diet?".

1. Chromium supplementation improves lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
2. ≤400 μg/d chromium supplementation reduce BMI

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• Chromium is an essential mineral that humans require in trace amounts.
• Dietary sources of chromium include whole grains, potatoes, oysters, liver, seafood, cheese, chicken and meat.
• Milled grains or other processed foods have considerably less chromium content than their unprocessed counterparts.
• The chromium concentration in foods of the typical Western diet range from 5 to 24 mcg/1000 kcal with an average intake of 15 mcg/1000 kcal.
• Chromium is a component of the “glucose-tolerance factor” which is required for maintenance of normal blood glucose.
• Symptomatic chromium deficiency is rare.
• Chromium deficiency is characterized by insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and lipid abnormalities.
• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of chromium for ages 9 years and above ranges from 21 to 25 micrograms (mcg or µg) per day for females and 25 to 35 mcg per day for men. 1 mg = 1000 mcg.
  The RDA is the average daily intake that meets a nutrient requirement of nearly all (97 to 98%) healthy individuals.
• No adverse effect at doses of 1 mg per day.
• The body absorbs dietary chromium poorly, 0.5-2%.
• The total body content of chromium in the adult is estimated at 5 to 6 milligrams.
• Chromium is commercially available in several forms, including chromium nicotinate, chromium histidinate, chromium picolinate, chromium-enriched yeast, chromium chloride and glucose tolerance factor chromium (GTF).
• Chromium nicotinate and chromium picolinate are more bioavailable than chromium chloride.