Chromium, as Chromium Polynicotinate, is a trace mineral that helps produce many enzymes the body depends on. The rise in blood sugar that comes with aging may be a result of years of inadequate
Chromium intake, as
Chromium is needed for insulin to work.
Chromium dependent enzymes are necessary to metabolize your body's natural sugar – glucose – into usable energy. Once alcohol is consumed, it quickly converts into glucose. The nausea from a hangover can be compared to overdosing on sugar due to a lack of
Chromium to process this glucose. To make matters worse, simple sugars such as alcohol increase the urinary loss of
Chromium.
[1]
In some studies, 150 to 1,000 mcg/day has decreased total and "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increased concentrations of a component of "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in subjects with atherosclerosis or elevated cholesterol.
[2][3][4]
A government researcher who studied
Chromium in the diet estimated 90% of Americans don't receive the minimum daily recommendation for
Chromium.
Chromium is slow to absorb and accumulate, so extended use is required. Absorption of
Chromium from the intestinal tract is low, ranging from less than 0.4% to 2.5% of the amount consumed.
Vitamin C and
Niacin (Vitamin B3) enhance the mineral's absorption.
[1][5]
Diabetics, individuals under chronic stress and individuals who exercise regularly have higher
Chromium requirements.
[6][7] This is because these people's bodies receive more stress than the average person. When you drink alcohol your body experiences an increase in stress, literally! Alcohol triggers the release of stress hormones.
Ingredient Research
1. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Chromium. Dietary reference intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K,
boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. Washington,
D.C.: National Academy Press; 2001:197-223.
2. Roeback Jr. JR, Hla KM, Chambless LE, Fletcher RH. Effects of chromium supplementation on serum high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol levels in men taking beta-blockers. A randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med
1991;115:917-24.
3. Abraham AS, Brooks BA, Eylath U. The effects of chromium supplementation on serum glucose and lipids in
patients with and without non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Metabolism 1992;41:768-71.
4. Hermann J, Arquitt A. Effect of chromium supplementation on plasma lipids, apolipoproteins, and glucose in elderly
subjects. Nutr Res 1994;14: 671-4.
5. Stoecker BJ. Chromium. In: Shils M, Olson JA, Shike M, Ross AC, eds. Nutrition in Health and Disease. 9th ed.
Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1999:277-282.
6. Lukaski HC. Magnesium, zinc, and chromium nutriture and physical activity. Am J Clin Nutr.
2000;72(2 Suppl):585S-593S.
7. Rubin MA, Miller JP, Ryan AS, et al. Acute and chronic resistive exercise increase urinary chromium excretion in
men as measured with an enriched chromium stable isotope. J Nutr. 1998;128(1):73-78.
Additional Resources
1.
http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/chromium.asp
2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium
