Benefits Of Chromium Supplements For Natural Weight Loss

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At the risk of oversimplifying, the basis of weight loss involves building muscle and burning fat. Put it another way: eat less and exercise more. While this may seem like a fool-proof way to lose weight, there can often be other things standing in the way. One such example is a chromium deficiency.

Chromium: The Unknown Nutritional Element

Calcium, magnesium, potassium, and even phosphorus are all basic elements often included in nutrition information. But even if your hobby list includes reading nutrition labels, chances are you don't pay attention to your chromium intake. That's because chromium is considered a trace element in nutrition, meaning you only need very tiny amounts to function efficiently.

The History of Chromium

Chromium was first pushed into the dietary spotlight in the 1970s. Those who cannot consume any food by mouth are fed by Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) in hospitals. The TPN diet was formulated to include all the fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals necessary for optimal health, administered intravenously until patients could regain the ability to eat. Doctors noticed that patients undergoing TPN consistently developed high blood sugar similar to that of diabetics. The obvious treatment at the time was insulin, which is required for cells to absorb sugar from the blood. Strangely, even insulin injections didn't lower the blood sugar of TPN patients. It was known that chromium is required for insulin to function correctly, so a small amount of chromium was added experimentally to the diet. Sure enough blood sugar levels quickly dropped back to normal.

Insulin and Body Composition

In addition to allowing the absorption of glucose, insulin is also highly involved in other metabolic processes. Once insulin levels in the bloodstream reach a certain point, the body begins storing fat instead of burning it. Although this process is normal, the modern diet of high-fat, high-sugar, and highly processed foods causes blood insulin levels to remain high more often, causing fat to be stored instead of burned more often.

Chromium and Insulin

Chromium deficiency causes the insulin that is released in response to high blood sugar levels to be less effective. The pancreas, which is still receiving the "high blood sugar" message, releases more insulin to increase the absorption of glucose. More insulin means more fat storage, which equates to difficult weight loss. To make matters worse, the consumption of high-sugar foods causes the excretion of chromium in the urine.

How to Get More Chromium

Now before I tell you which foods contain more chromium and how you should eat lots of them, understand that chromium is a trace element for a reason: too much is toxic. It's also important to know that there are several forms of chromium: trivalent chromium is the form you should look for. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council suggests you consume somewhere between 50 and 200 micrograms (different from milligrams) per day. To get the chromium necessary for effective weight loss, you can eat more broccoli, mushrooms, wheat germ, processed meats, or organ meats. If these options seem less than appealing (you mean you don't ever crave organ meats?), you can always get your daily chromium from a supplement.

Sources: http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/hydro/crbacker.htm http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_sugar.php http://www.newhope.com/nutritionsciencenews/NSN_backs/Feb_99/chromium.cfm