QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mertz, W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mertz, W.

Chromium in Human Nutrition: A Review

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, MD 20705

This review summarizes the results of 15 controlled studies supplementing defined Cr(III) compounds to subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. Three of these (3–4 µmol Cr/d for >2 mo) produced no beneficial effects: serum glucose, insulin and lipid concentrations remained unchanged. The remaining 12 interventions improved the efficiency of insulin or the blood lipid profile of subjects (ranging from malnourished children and healthy middle-aged individuals to insulin-requiring diabetics). In addition, three cases of impaired glucose tolerance after long-term total parenteral alimentation responding to Cr supplementation have been reported. Chromium potentiates the action of insulin in vitro and in vivo; maximal in vitro activity requires a special chemical form, termed Glucose Tolerance Factor and tentatively identified as a Cr-nicotinic acid complex. Its complete structural identification is a major challenge to chromium research. The development and validation of a procedure to diagnose chromium status is the second challenge. Such a test would allow the assessment of incidence and severity of deficiency in the population and the selection of chromium-responsive individuals. The third challenge is the definition of chromium's mode of action on parameters of lipid metabolism that have been reported from some studies but not others. Future research along these lines might establish whether chromium deficiency is a factor in the much discussed "Syndrome X" of insulin resistance.

KEY WORDS: • chromium • humans • glucose tolerance • insulin resistance

Manuscript received 21 July 1992. Revision accepted 8 December 1992.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. C. Smith Jr and W. Maret Walter Mertz (1923 2002) J. Nutr., February 1, 2008; 138(2): 247 - 249. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Howard, C. Ashley, D. Lyon, and A. Shenkin Autopsy Tissue Trace Elements in 8 Long-Term Parenteral Nutrition Patients Who Received the Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration Formulation JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, September 1, 2007; 31(5): 388 - 396. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. G. Preuss, B. Echard, M. M. Polansky, and R. Anderson Whole cinnamon and aqueous extracts ameliorate sucrose-induced blood pressure elevations in spontaneously hypertensive rats. J. Am. Coll. Nutr., April 1, 2006; 25(2): 144 - 150. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Wani, C. Weskamp, J. Marple, and L. Spry Acute Tubular Necrosis Associated with Chromium Picolinate-Containing Dietary Supplement Ann. Pharmacother., March 1, 2006; 40(3): 563 - 566. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Aghdassi, I. E. Salit, L. Fung, L. Sreetharan, S. Walmsley, and J. P. Allard Is Chromium an Important Element in HIV-Positive Patients with Metabolic Abnormalities? An Hypothesis Generating Pilot Study. J. Am. Coll. Nutr., February 1, 2006; 25(1): 56 - 63. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Guallar, F. J. Jimenez, P. van 't Veer, P. Bode, R. A. Riemersma, J. Gomez-Aracena, J. D. Kark, L. Arab, F. J. Kok, J. M. Martin-Moreno, et al. Low Toenail Chromium Concentration and Increased Risk of Nonfatal Myocardial Infarction Am. J. Epidemiol., July 15, 2005; 162(2): 157 - 164. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]