Research on the Mineral Chromium
The following research abstracts
are presented to reflect the findings of possible benefits from
minerals as a dietary supplement and nutritional supplement.
You will find more on the ionic
chromium page.
GENERAL CHROMIUM RESEARCH
Mazzola, V. (1986). Agricultural
Research, 34(1).
A week long test of the normal
diets of 32 adults in the Washington DC area has revealed that
all consumed less chromium than
the amount suggested by the Food and Nutrition Board as safe
and adequate - 50 mg per day.
For the test at the Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Laboratory
in Beltsville, MD, 32 volunteers brought in duplicate amounts
of everything they ate and drank. Then the food was analyzed
for amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Another test at the Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Laboratory
showed that those who exercise strenuously may need more chromium
than others. The nine men studied lost twice as much chromium
in their urine on days they ran 6 miles as on days they did
not run.
Physical stress caused by severe injuries seems to have an effect
similar to exercise. In cooperative studies at the University
of Maryland's Neurotrauma Intensive Care Unit in Baltimore,
seven severely injured patients lost abnormally high amounts
of chromium in their urine. The
rate of chromium loss decreased
as the patients recuperated, according to chemist Marilyn M.
Polansky.
Richard A. Anderson, also a chemist, said tests at the laboratory
have revealed that chromium maintains
blood sugar levels and helps regulate fats and cholesterol,
even increasing high-density lipoproteins (HDL) the "good"
cholesterol.
Anderson said foods such as whole wheat breads, meat, mushrooms,
and vegetables are good sources of chromium.
A varied diet containing these foods can be expected to provide
enough chromium to maintain good
health.
Wallach, S. (1985). J Am Coll Nutr, 4,
107-120.
The essentiality of chromium
(Cr) in animal and human nutrition is now well accepted. In
animals, Cr deficiency can cause
a diabetic like state, impaired growth, elevated blood lipids,
increased aortic plaque formation, and decreased fertility and
longevity. The ability of Cr to
potentiate insulin sensitivity has considerable experimental
support. In the human, Cr deficiency
has been demonstrated unequivocally in only one clinical situation,
patients on total parenteral nutrition without added Cr.
In such patients, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperglycemia,
relative insulin resistance, peripheral neuropathy, and a metabolic
encephalopathy have been noted with reversal of the clinical
phenomena by Cr repletion. Many
studies have been performed to determine whether Cr
deficiency may be important in other clinical conditions, namely,
diabetes mellitus, pregnant and parous women, and the aged population.
Available data indicate that Cr
supplementation can improve glucose metabolism in glucose intolerant
individuals and decrease the total HDL cholesterol ration regardless
of the status of glucose tolerance. However, whether Cr
supplementation has long term health benefits is unknown. Further,
despite many tantalizing observations, it is still unclear whether
Cr deficiency, latent or overt,
is common in any human situation other than generalized malnutrition
and total parenteral nutrition without added Cr.
Technical uncertainties in the analysis of Cr,
Cr contamination of food by the use of stainless steel
processing equipment and eating utensils, and the lack of clinically
feasible test for Cr deficiency
continue to impede progress in Cr
research. Nevertheless, there is considerably more clarity as
to plasma and urine Cr levels, food
and tissue Cr content, and metabolic
pathways of Cr metabolism than existed
a decade ago. It is expected that progress will accelerate,
since critical questions can now be addressed regarding the
role of Cr in human nutrition.
Diabetes Care (USA), 1996, 19/8 (873-875)
OBJECTIVE - Zinc deficiency ha shown to increase
the risk for diabetes in diabetes-prone experimental animals.
Low concentrations of zinc have also been shown in serum of
recent onset cases with IDDM. The present study examines the
hypothesis that exposure to a low concentration of zinc in drinking
water could increase the risk for future onset of IDDM. RESEARCH
DESIGN AND METHODS - Using the Swedish childhood diabetes registry
and data on residence 3 years before the onset of disease, a
case-control study was designed comparing cases and control
subjects with estimates of groundwater contents of zinc obtained
in biogeochemical samples from areas of residence. RESULTS -
A high groundwater concentration of zinc was associated with
a significant decrease in risk (odds ration (OR) = 0.8; 95%
CI = 0.7-0.9). The same OR was obtained when the model included
information of other metals that might act as possible confounders
(chromium, vanadium, cobalt selenium, cadmium, lead, and mercury).
In small rural areas, in which drinking water is taken from
local wells and thus is closely associated with the groundwater
content within the area, an even stronger association between
zinc and diabetes (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.4-0.9) was found. CONCLUSIONS
- It is concluded that this study for the first time provides
evidence that a low groundwater content of zinc, which may reflect
long-term exposure through drinking water, is associated with
later development of childhood onset diabetes.
Med Hypotheses (ENGLAND) Feb 1984, 13 (2) p139-51
Available evidence--some well-documented, some
only preliminary--suggests that properly-designed nutritional
insurance supplementation may have particular value in diabetes.
Comprehensive micronutrient supplementation providing ample
doses of antioxidants, yeast-chromium, magnesium, zinc, pyridoxine,
gamma-linolenic acid, and carnitine, may aid glucose tolerance,
stimulate immune defenses, and promote wound healing, while
reducing the risk and severity of some of the secondary complications
of diabetes. (125 Refs.)
