Many people have never heard of chromium and certainly not its role in maintaining natural health, lowering cholesterol, supporting hypoglycemia/diabetes, enhancing fat loss, maintaining muscle mass and extending the life of cells in the body.

A Simple Chromium Primer:

Chromium is a mineral that is required to keep insulin working properly in the body. It is also called the insulin working metal.

Insulin is a hormone, made by the pancreas, that is responsible to direct food into the cells so that they can have all of the energy they need to fulfill all of their specialized functions. When chromium levels are low, insulin doesnt work right, and we dont utilize blood sugar properly. This means too much sugar gets in the bloodstream and does a lot of damage including turning into too much cholesterol and the rest is stored as fat, leading to a myriad of health disorders, including diabetes.

It is difficult for us to obtain chromium from food because it a mineral that is difficult for the body to absorb. Through animal studies thirty years ago, chromium was proven to be essential in human health, but it was years later that scientists found out how to induce the body to accept chromium so that it could be effectively used.

Chromium picolinate (and chromium Polynicotinate) are the two forms of chromium that the body will readily accept and use. Just because a multivitamin lists the word chromium on the label doesnt mean your body will see any of it.

The phospholipid (fat) membrane that surrounds and protects every living cell rejects any ion that is charged (like plain minerals). So, in order for the cells to accept chromium, it must be bound to a neutral ion (like picolinate) to be accepted by the cells. These neutral ions are called, chelators, which in Greek, means to claw, or grab. Chelators are used to deliver important minerals to the places in the body where they can be effectively used. Plain minerals simply are flushed out of the body unused. I could easily cite the difference in absorption rates between calcium carbonate (ground shells) to calcium citrate. No comparison really..

Important Facts About Using Chromium Picolinate:

1. Take no more than 200 mcg. daily, unless directed otherwise by your physician. Too much chromium in any form is toxic. Some diabetics take 500 mcg. but this is only under supervision because the doctor is able to monitor their blood work and see that they gobble up more chromium than healthy people.

2. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, discuss with your doctor if you need to change your blood-testing regimen. Chromium picolinate enhances the effectiveness of insulin, so you may need less insulin. Dont arbitrarily switch your regimen. Your doctor, or naturopath will go slow with this anyway.

3. If you have been diagnosed with hypoglycemia, recognize that taking chromium picolinate on an empty stomach may lower your blood sugar further and make you dizzy. I dont doubt that chromium picolinate may help prevent the development of full-blown diabetes, but if you are diagnosed with a sugar problem discuss your plan with a nutritionally educated doctor, such as a licensed naturopath, that can really help you. We now know that many cases of diabetes never had to happen in the first place. Just be thankful that you know you have the pre-cursor to diabetes and can do something about it.

4. Dont expect chromium picolinate to properly regulate your blood sugar if you stuffing your face with cakes, pies, sugary soft drinks, cookies and candy all day long. You are begging for diabetes and maybe even cancer!

5. Dont expect chromium picolinate to lower your cholesterol level if you keep eating high carbohydrates. Instead, adopt a low carb lifestyle and let your blood sugar stabilize shutting off the cholesterol faucet.

6. Chromium picolinate has been proven to help people hold to their bone mass by enhancing correct DHEA hormone production in the adrenal glands. But if you smoke you will have lower levels of DHEA and face a much greater risk of osteoporosis.

7. Chromium picolinate has been proven to enhance muscle body building and fat loss in resistant areas of the body. But again, if you eat high carbs that shuts down your fat burning factory.

8. If you are planning to use chromium picolinate (combined with niacin) to flush out cholesterol from arteries, choose formulas especially made for this purpose to obtain the right balance. Flush free niacin is best.

9. If you are pregnant and your doctor is worried about gestational diabetes, remind him or her about chromium picolinate role in preventing gestational diabetes.

10. Since excessive blood sugar leads to glycation (where sugar over attaches to various proteins in the body damaging them) and glycation is thought to be the primary causes of pre-mature aging, you may wish to consider the fact that chromium picolinate has been proven to extend life on a cellular level.