Not V :) but...

I think that given that we eat an unprocessed diet void of white sugar and flour we dont need supplemental chromium. Processed carbs wreck havoc on the metabolism, insulin and blood sugar get out of control. Chromium can help - like a bandaid - to manage this situation better somewhat. I heard before that too much is not healthy, not sure where. It is a non essential mineral that occurs only in smal amounts in foods.

Im looking forward to hear from V too. My multi vitamin contains 200ug chromium.

Table 1: Selected food sources of chromium [12,15-16]
Food Chromium (mcg)
Broccoli, ½ cup 11
Grape juice, 1 cup 8
English muffin, whole wheat, 1 4
Potatoes, mashed, 1 cup 3
Garlic, dried, 1 teaspoon 3
Basil, dried, 1 tablespoon 2
Beef cubes, 3 ounces 2
Orange juice, 1 cup 2
Turkey breast, 3 ounces 2
Whole wheat bread, 2 slices 2
Red wine, 5 ounces 1-13
Apple, unpeeled, 1 medium 1
Banana, 1 medium 1
Green beans, ½ cup 1



Is chromium a trace essential metal?

Diane M. Stearns A1

A1 Northern Arizona University, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 5698, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5698, USA


http://iospress.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backt...


Abstract:

If chromium is an essential metal it must have a specific role in an enzyme or cofactor, and a deficiency should produce a disease or impairment of function. To date, no chromium-containing glucose tolerance factor has been characterized, the purpose of the low-molecular-weight chromium-binding protein is questionable, and no direct interaction between chromium and insulin has been found. Furthermore, chromium^{3+} is treated like the toxic metals arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in animals. Chromium^{3+} may be involved in chromium^{6+}-induced cancers because chromium^{6+} is converted to chromium^{3+} in vivo, and chromium^{3+} is genotoxic and mutagenic. Although there is no direct evidence of chromium deficiencies in humans, dietary supplements exist to provide supraphysiological doses of absorbable chromium^{3+}. Chromium^{3+} may act clinically by interfering with iron absorption, decreasing the high iron stores that are linked to diabetes and heart disease. If so, this would make chromium^{3+} a pharmacological agent, not an essential metal.

What affects chromium levels in the body?
Absorption of chromium from the intestinal tract is low, ranging from less than 0.4% to 2.5% of the amount consumed [19-25], and the remainder is excreted in the feces [1,23]. Enhancing the mineral's absorption are vitamin C (found in fruits and vegetables and their juices) and the B vitamin niacin (found in meats, poultry, fish, and grain products) [26]. Absorbed chromium is stored in the liver, spleen, soft tissue, and bone [27].


http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/chromium.asp


The body's chromium content may be reduced under several conditions. Diets high in simple sugars (comprising more than 35% of calories) can increase chromium excretion in the urine [13]. Infection, acute exercise, pregnancy and lactation, and stressful states (such as physical trauma) increase chromium losses and can lead to deficiency, especially if chromium intakes are already low [28-29]. Tweet