type 1 paragraph of chromium mineral
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Chromium, as trivalent (+3) chromium, is a trace element that is naturally present in many foods and available as a dietary supplement. Chromium also exists as hexavalent (+6) chromium, a toxic by-product of stainless steel and other manufacturing processes [1,2]. This fact sheet focuses entirely on trivalent chromium.
Chromium might play a role in carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism by potentiating insulin action [1-5]. Although the precise mechanism for this activity has not been identified, scientists have proposed that chromium binds to an oligopeptide to form chromodulin, a low-molecular-weight, chromium-binding substance that binds to and activates the insulin receptor to promote insulin action [4,6-8]. Chromium might also have antioxidant effects [1].
In 2001, the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine considered chromium to be an essential nutrient based on its effects on insulin action [2]. However, recent research has suggested that although chromium might have benefits at pharmacologic amounts (e.g., in the hundreds of mcg), it is not an essential mineral because an absence or deficiency of chromium does not produce abnormalities that can be reversed with the addition of chromium (see the Chromium Deficiency section below) [5,9-13]. The FNB has not evaluated chromium since 2001. However, in 2014, the European Food Safety Authority Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies concluded that no convincing evidence shows that chromium is an essential nutrient and, therefore, setting chromium intake recommendations would be inappropriate [5].
In the blood, most chromium is bound to plasma proteins, particularly transferrin, and only about 5% is unbound [5,12]. Chromium accumulates mainly in the liver, spleen, soft tissue, and bone [2,5,12].
Chromium is excreted mainly in the urine [1,12,13]. Urinary chromium levels are therefore a good indicator of chromium absorption. However, because these levels are closely related to recent chromium intakes, they are not good indicators of chromium body stores [4,14]. Hair levels might reflect past chromium intakes [5], and some studies have measured chromium levels in hair, sweat, serum, and toenails [15,16]. However, no validated methods for determining chromium status and no clinically defined chromium deficiency state exist [6,8]