CHROMIUM DEFICIENCY

Report #7297

An article from the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland shows that chromium supplements can help some diabetics control their blood sugar levels (1).

Most people who develop diabetes after age 45 have normal amounts of insulin. Their high blood sugar levels are caused by an inability to respond to insulin, so they require more insulin than normal. Before insulin can do its job of driving sugar from the bloodstream into cells, it must attach to special hooks on the surface of cells called insulin receptors. Late-onset diabetes is associated with a reduced number of insulin receptors caused by being too fat or eating too much fat. To drive sugar into cells, insulin also requires several minerals such as chromium, manganese, vanadium, and selenium (2). This recent study shows that chromium supplements lowers blood sugar levels in some diabetics. Hemoglobin A1C measures control of diabetes with a norma value below 6.5. After four months, those taking placebo had a HBA1C of 8.5, those taking 100 microgranms of chromiumn picilonate twice a day had a HBA1C of 7.5, and those taking 500 mcg twife a day had HBA1C of 6.5. Whole grains are a major dietary source of chromium and many late-onset diabetics eat refined carbohydrates that lack chromium.

Since refining grains removes chromium, diabetics should avoid refined foods, such as bread, spaghetti, macaroni, bagels, crackers, cookies and white rice. They should eat whole grains such as wheat and rye berries, oat groats, quinoa and buckwheat. They can also take chromium supplements if they want and they should restrict fat and avoid being overweight.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News