WaterOz Solutions: CHROMIUM

Chromium

When chromium is mentioned to the average person they may recognize it to be something that is used for weight loss or for body-building. If one is even more educated they might remember a movie entitled, "Erin Brockovich" in which chromium was a key component of the story. The chromium most talked about in said movie was hexavalent chromium (also known as chromium 6) and trivalent chromium (also known as chromium 3). Hexavalent chromium is considered hazardous in any form and is mostly used in the industrial world. Trivalent chromium is used for health and supplementation.

Chromium was first discovered in 1797. At least it was recognized by Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin (a professor of assaying and chemistry) as a new metallic element. Up until that time chromium was mined as part of 'Siberian Red Lead' also known as crocoite or lead chromate. It was used mainly for painting and was highly sought after by royalty for the painting of carriages and the like. It produced a brilliant yellow color. Chromium actually comes from the greek word 'khroma' which means 'color'. It has been used in the dyeing industry, the tanning industry and in 1865 a patent was granted for its use in the steel industry. Chromium, you see, is the secret ingredient that makes steel stainless. It is seldom used by itself as it enhances other elements functions and properties. It is used for color, strength, hygiene, hardness and permanence, resistance to wear, decay, corrosion and temperature. While it may have many uses in the industrial world, its nutritional uses are no less astounding.

In 1957, chromium was found to be an essential part of what is known as GTF (glucose tolerance factor). It is key in regulating carbohydrate metabolism, fat metabolism and protein use by the body. Chromium is just a part of GTF-the other factors being niacin and the amino acids glycine, cysteine and glutamic acid. In December of 1966, Dr. Walter Mertz stated that chromium plays a vital role in the synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids and that impaired metabolism of glucose in experimental animals could be cured by one oral dose of 20 mcg of chromium. His full article can be found in the December issue of 'Food and Nutrition' of the same year.

Chromium is an 'ultra' trace element. It is present in the blood at about 20 ppb and is present at birth in higher amounts than any other time in life. A small amount of this element seems to go a long way. It is extremely hard for the body to absorb and is better utilized when other GTF items, vanadium, zinc and vitamin C are present.

About the same time as Dr. Mertz article came out, 12 Jordanian children were being admitted to a hospital in Jerusalem. They were malnourished, weak and basically skeletons. The UN had been kind enough to supply them with a milk powder that was supposed to have all the protein and nutrients they would require. However, they were still malnourished. At the same time another group from the Jordan River Valley were also admitted having the same symptoms. The children in Jerusalem were suffering from hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia without the body being able to find a stable balance. What became somewhat of a medical mystery was the fact that even though the Jordan River Valley children suffered from being malnourished, they did not have the same blood sugar issues. After much study and research, the physicians discovered that the only thing different between the two groups was the water they consumed. The water from Jerusalem had 3 times less the amount of chromium as did the water from the wells of the Jordan River Valley. Once this was figured out an oral dose of 18 ppb chromium was administered to each of the children in Jerusalem. Their blood sugar maladies soon cleared up.

Unfortunately, Americans tend to be the most deficient in this mineral. With diabetes and heart disease on the rise, it can be directly linked to our poor dietary choices as much of the nutritional value of chromium is lost during the refining of white sugars and flours (sugars having a 93% loss and flour having a 40% loss).

Chromium is stored in many parts of the body. It can be found in the kidneys, brain, skin, muscles, testes, fat and liver. The body obviously does not produce it so it must be supplemented in our diet in some form. Our soil is chronically deficient and thus our food supply also suffers from a lack of nutrition. There are, however, several forms of chromium supplements on the market today, some of which are chromium sulfate, chromium chloride, chromium picolinate, chromium nicotinate and chromium polynicotinate to name a few. For years chromium picolinate enjoyed the spotlight but has recently come under fire as being unsafe for human use. It has been suggested that this form of chromium may be responsible for DNA damage done in test tubes and in vitro. The UK Food Standards Agency and the EU Directive pyshed to have it taken from the market in 2001/2002. Oxalates (found in chocolate and spinach, etc.) inhibit the absorption of chromium as do antacids. Ascorbic acid and aspirin have been found to enhance chromium's absorption.

Forty years ago, rats fed a yeast based diet developed an intolerance to glucose that was reversed once chromium was supplemented. (Makes one wonder about all the gluten intolerant folks...hmmmm). Over the years this essential trace element has been found to be important not only for human survival but for fish, squirrel monkeys, mice, guinea pigs, cattle and regular pigs as well. The current RDA for chromium is 50-200 mcg but it is believed that one can take up to 1000 mcg a day safely.

Dr. Henry Schroeder (author of 'Trace Elements and Man' stated in March of 1968 that, "a sizeable portion of the American subjects sampled had low or negligible quantity of chromium in their tissues compared to foreigners. The total amounts in those organs, based on organ weights, indicated that African tissues had 1.9 times, Near Eastern tissues had 4.4 times and Far Eastern tissues had 5 times as much chromium as did Americans." In other words, even some third world countries may have lower incidences of diabetes and heart disease because they eat better than we do. In the mid 50's a report was written in the 'Journal of Biological Chemistry' concerning chromium and cholesterol. It was found that when rats were put on a diet deficient in chromium that they had an astounding increase in serum cholesterol levels. When given a small amount of chromium the cholesterol levels dropped and did not seem to go up again even with aging if chromium remained a part of the diet. Aortas of rats that had died from natural causes were also examined. It was found that those who had chromium in their diet on a regular basis had a 2% build up of plaque compared to 19% in those with little or no chromium in their diets.

Chromium improves the use of glucose by the cells which in turn use it to create energy. Chromium is also believed to bind to insulin and certain cell receptors that aid in the utilization of glucose thus lowering blood sugar, in theory. Without chromium in the system there would be a buildup of sugar in the body and no way for it to be used ending with often tragic circumstances. Chromium is the key to the door.

There are many things that effect chromium absorption and excretion. The greater the stress on the body the more that chromium is lost. These stresses can vary from excess sugar intake, pregnancy, intense exercise or physical trauma.

In 1997 a 2 month study was conducted by the Chinese and the US Department of Agriculture using 180 Type II diabetics. These individuals were divided into 3 groups in which one group received 1000 mcg daily of chromium picolinate, another group was given 200 mcg daily and the third group was given a placebo. At the end of the 2 months, cholesterol and blood sugar levels were re-evaluated. Those taking the 200 mcg had improved but not significantly. It took them 4 months to see any serious improvements whereas the group on 1000 mcg daily saw amazing improvements within the 2 month time frame. A similar study done in San Antonio, Texas in 1994 found that chromium radically reduced the amount of triglycerides in subjects studied over a 2 month period. A study was also conducted in Austria in 1997 involving 36 obese patients. Over a 26 week period each subject was either given 200 mcg of chromium picolinate, a chromium based yeast or a placebo. After the allotted time, those who received the picolinate supplement showed an increase in lean body mass. A similar study was done on young obese women in Austin, Texas using chromium nicotinate. These women were put on an exercise training schedule and given 400 mcg daily of chromium nicotinate. At the end of the trial period, not only had their response to insulin improved (meaning it had lowered), but they had lost a significant amount of weight as well. Some studies have shown chromium to be a factor in preventing osteoporosis, ocular maladies and acne as well. Indeed this is a mineral worth keeping in one's diet.