Chromium Dietary Supplement

Even with the fact that the use of a chromium dietary supplement is not proven to be helpful to the body, it is widely used.

What is Chromium ?

It is a mineral that is needed in the human body in trace quantities. At the present time, what it does in the body is not well defined and the amounts needed for optimal health are unknown. It can be found most often in two forms: Trivalent (Chromium 3+) and Hexavalent (Chromium 6+).

The first is the form needed in the body, while the second is a toxic by product of industrial pollution. When speaking in this article, we will be speaking of trivalent chromium and its use.

What does chromium do ?

One thing health care professionals know about chromium is that it does enhance the action of insulin, which is a hormone crucial to metabolizing and storing carbs, fats and proteins in the body. It was identified in 1959 to be the active ingredient in preventing the age-related decline in insulin�s ability to maintain normal sugar levels.

It also appears that chromium is a key player in the metabolism of carbs, fats and proteins.

However, all the roles of chromium have not been identified by health care professionals. More research is required to find out all the roles it plays in the body. Some ways to reach the goal of determining chromium uses are:

1: Finding what types of people respond to a chromium dietary supplement.

2: Finding and evaluating the amounts of chromium in foods and how much of it actually is used by the body.

3: Finding out if a �chromium deficiency� ever exists in people because of too little intake.

4: Finding a reliable measure of chromium status.

Using a chromium dietary supplement

Finding a chromium dietary supplement or one that
contains it is not hard to do. However, it is hard to say which supplement is the one for you. There is a very limited amount of information about how it is absorbed by humans and which forms of chromium are more effective.

Even with the fact that the use of a chromium dietary supplement is not proven to be helpful to the body, it is widely used. In 2002, the sales of chromium supplements were estimated to be around $85 million dollars! There are single-ingredient chromium supplements on the market, as well as formulas with a combination of ingredients. Many of the formulas which contain chromium are marketed for weight loss.

Some of the stated benefits of using
a chromium dietary supplement are

1: It may help a person reach weight loss goals.

2: It may help a person avoid heart disease.

3: It may help a person who has Type-2 diabetes.

Chromium come's in many forms: Chromium chloride, chromium nicotinate, chromium picolinate, high-chromium yeast and chromium citrate.

A word of advice about taking a
chromium dietary supplement.

As with any medication or supplement, chromium can do good things for your body, but it can also be harmful. The best way to get chromium is still through food. If you are concerned about chromium deficiency, ask your health care professional for some information about a chromium dietary supplement that will be right for you.