Chromium is an insulin potentiator, which means it extends your body's own insulin production. If you have diabetes or blood sugar disorders, this is one trace mineral you need to know about.

Chromium enhances the action of insulin, the hormone critical to the metabolism and storage of carbohydrates, fat and protein in the body. It is widely used as a nutritional supplement for optimal insulin function in the form of chromium picolinate. And the good news is that chromium might help reverse type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, blood sugar disorders, and metabolic syndrome (also known as Syndrome X).

In the practice of anti-aging and longevity medicine, it is vital that you have a solid foundation of adequate nutrition, without deficiencies, before you move on to the more high-tech methods of extending longevity. There are many dazzling technologies for treating insulin-related problems, but if you have a chromium deficiency (and trace mineral deficiencies are very common), it makes sense to take care of this first.

And it’s extremely important to note that type 2 diabetes patients have altered chromium metabolism—greater excretion of chromium, lower tissue levels of chromium, and an inefficient ability to convert chromium into a usable form in the body.¹

Scientific studies

An article recently published in the journal Canadian Family Physician (June 2009) reviewed clinical evidence from 1966 to 2008 that supports complementary and alternative treatments for type 2 diabetes mellitus. The large meta-analysis concluded that chromium was the number one natural remedy for reducing glycosylated hemoglobin (a measure of blood glucose levels over a period of 120 days) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels.²

A 2008 published review of nutritional supplementation for type 2 diabetes looked at 50 clinical trials. The studies assessed the potential role of alpha-lipoic acid, chromium, folic acid, isoflavones, magnesium, Pycnogenol®, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Chromium was the most studied supplement, accounting for 16 of the 50 trials. A majority of the trials found a positive effect of chromium on fasting plasma glucose.³

A 2006 published review of studies on chromium found that all 15 clinical studies of 1,690 patients with diabetes reported at least one area in which diabetes management was improved, including dyslipidemia (abnormal amounts of lipids in the blood). Thirteen out of 15 of the studies showed significant improvement in at least one outcome of glycemic control. Overall, the data support the safety and therapeutic value of chromium picolinate for the management of high cholesterol and high blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Other positive outcomes from chromium supplementation included: reduced blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reduced needs for hypoglycemic medication. All together, the studies support the safety and therapeutic value of chromium picolinate supplementation for the management of cholesterol and high blood glucose in patients with diabetes.⁴

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