In a previous post I explained my 10 underlying mechanisms of diabetes, and mentioned that chromium is know to assist in the binding of insulin to cell membranes.
The transfer of glucose from the blood is achieved when insulin successfully binds with an insulin receptors on cell membranes which then facilitates the flow of glucose and also the transfer of insulin itself thus dropping the levels of both in the blood.
This is how chromium availability helps to relieve impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes.
Sources of chromium
So what are the sources of chromium and can it be dangerous if mis-used?
It turns out that not a lot is known because there is a lack of accurate tests, in volume and accuracy, for chromium status - its not usually something tested in blood tests for example.
What's known is that its deficiency may be a contributing factor in impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. It's food sources are also known, although there again data is limited:
- whole grain products;
- broccoli;
- green beans;
- grape juice; and,
- spices.
What do diabetics need to know?
Important things for diabetics to know are these:
- heavy exercise may increase the amount of chromium needed;
- foods high in sucrose and fructose increase chromium loss (which makes you wonder about cause and effect with regard to Type 2 diabetes - since high fructose/sucrose diets often lead to diabetes); and,
- Vitamin C in amounts of 100mg or more can increase the absorption of chromium.
Those are quite important points, because I do exercise quite heavily as part of my diabetic control regime, and also perhaps I should be taking a regular vitamin C tablet in conjunction with any chromium supplements.
With regard to supplements, chromium picolate is the form used in much of the research on the health effects of chromium. It is said to have high bioavailability, and so does chromium nicotinate, whereas hexavalent chromium is highly toxic. The former forms of chromium are trivalent forms, but even there people with kidney or liver disease are cautioned to take lower doses. Certain nutritional yeast products are fortified with chromium and have high bioavailabilty (often known as chromium yeast in which the yeast combines the chromium into its fermenting products as it ferments).
For me the keys are to make broccoli a very regular vegetable choice, to check supplements for chromium since I need to keep up levels due to my exercise regime, and consider a nightly Vitamin C tablet.
On the other hand
On the other hand, a very recent 2007 study published in Diabetes Care found that "there is no evidence that chromium in the form of chromium yeast is effective in improving. glycemic control in western patients with type 2 diabetes" - so don't go to any extremes.
However, chromium is the most widely studied supplement for diabetes and the aggregate study results are inconclusive - neither positive nor negative.
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