Chromium: Benefits, Side Effects, Best Time to Take It & More

Chromium

(Cr)

Evidence: Very High
Possible Benefits: Low
Safety: Very High

What is chromium?

Chromium is an essential trace mineral often used as a supplement for regulating blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity. Unfortunately, it is not very effective in this regard and doesn’t have notable additional benefits. This article is about the main benefits of chromium, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.

What does chromium do for the body?

The main function of chromium in the body is regulating glucose metabolism. The mineral increases an insulin response to dietary glucose, which leads to greater insulin release.

Possible benefits

It is important to note that all of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. Generally, the higher the dose, the more pronounced the effects are. However, they do reach a plateau at a certain point. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.

Major benefits

Reduced blood glucose – Chromium supplements increase insulin secretion in response to dietary glucose, which slightly reduces fasting blood glucose in type II diabetics. This benefit does not apply to people without diabetes. Even in diabetics, the supplement does not lead to any reliable change in insulin sensitivity or HbA1c.

Minor benefits

Reduced appetite – This effect is minor and applies to people who specifically crave carbohydrates. The mineral also seems to reduce rates of binge eating in type II diabetics but this benefit is also statistically insignificant.
Reduced rates of depression – Some studies show a mild antidepressive effect but more research is needed to confirm this. This mainly applies to those suffering from bipolar disease. Chromium slightly reduces depressive symptoms and doesn’t affect manic episodes.
Reduced acne – The supplement can improve acne in women with PCOS. It doesn’t directly help with acne for other people.

Possible side effects

These side effects are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.

Diarrhea – Diarrhea caused by this supplement is not dangerous (assuming it doesn’t lead to severe dehydration) and usually only occurs if you take very high doses at once.
Nausea – Just like diarrhea, this side effect is not dangerous but can be unpleasant.
Chromium toxicity – While severe toxicity is rare, taking very high amounts of chromium could lead to chronic toxicity over time. Those suffering from toxicity may experience renal damage and rhabdomyolysis. That is why it is best to avoid very high doses. Specifically, you want to stay below 2000 mcg a day unless you have a great reason to take more.
Contamination – Contaminated supplements are uncommon in the USA and other well-regulated countries. However, if you wish to buy products from China, India, or other countries without strict regulations, beware that the supplements may be contaminated. Either way, you need to choose the brand you order from wisely. It is highly recommended to check the certificates or read through some reviews for the specific product before you buy it. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has the power to regulate dietary supplements but can only do so after they have been on the market for a while. That’s because supplement companies are not obligated to announce to the FDA when releasing a new product on the market. The FDA has to discover the product and test it for potential impurities, which can take a lot of time. During that time, the supplement can be sold on the market even if it’s impure. Also, supplement companies can change their manufacturers without announcing it to the FDA.

Who should not take chromium?

You should probably avoid taking the supplement if you:

already consume enough chromium from food
are a healthy individual without type II diabetes (the better your insulin sensitivity, the less you can benefit from the supplement)
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement
are on a tight supplement budget (since there are more cost-effective supplements on the market for most people)

Who will benefit the most?

You should consider taking the supplement if you:

have type II diabetes
often crave carbohydrates
have a high budget for supplements (assuming that the supplement doesn’t contain impurities, it appears to be safe in most cases and rarely does more harm than good if you stick to regular doses)

Types of chromium supplements

The different types of chromium supplements include:

Chromium picolinate – This is the cheapest and most popular form. It is highly stable outside the body and has a very long shelf-life.
GTF chromium – GTF stands for glucose tolerance factor. This form is extracted from yeast and may be safer than Cr picolinate.
Chromium polynicotinate – This form (also known as chromium nicotinic acid) may have additional cholesterol-lowering effects because the chromium is bound to nicotinic acid.
Chelated chromium – Also known as chromium amino acid chelate, this form is similar to GTF chromium and chromium polynicotinate.

All the forms above are highly absorbable and about equally as safe. Chromium polynicotinate may be slightly more beneficial than other forms because it provides small amounts of nicotinic acid (niacin).

How much chromium should you take?

For most people, 500-1000 mcg appears to be the best daily target. This is the amount used in many human studies and it should provide most of the benefits without meaningful side effects.

Type II diabetics who see an improvement when they start taking this mineral may benefit from even higher doses. On the other hand, doses higher than 1000 mcg would be useless if 500-1000 mcg doesn’t affect the person in any way.

The upper safety limit is not well-established. Even very high doses appear relatively safe but to stay on the safe side, don’t take more than 2000 mcg daily unless you have a great reason to do so. Higher amounts may cause problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.

Food sources of chromium

Nearly all whole foods provide enough chromium for optimal health in non-diabetics. Even diabetics shouldn’t base their diet around chromium intake since we only need a tiny amount per day that almost everyone gets.

The richest food sources of this mineral are fish and pasture-raised eggs. These foods provide 35-55 mcg per 100 grams. Grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and vegetables provide about 10-20 mcg per 100 grams.

Best time to take chromium

The nutrient is fat-soluble, so you should take it with food to absorb it well.

Since the main benefit of chromium supplements is keeping your blood sugar stable, you want to take this mineral with meals high in carbohydrates and protein.

If you take doses any higher than 500 mcg a day, spread the dose to two or more smaller doses throughout the day.

Whether you take the supplement in the morning or the evening doesn’t matter. It does not interrupt your sleep in any way.

Interactions

5-HTP
Chromium doesn’t affect cortisol levels on its own but it lowers the cortisol increase caused by 5-HTP.

Where to buy chromium

Amazon is the best option for ordering chromium supplements in most countries. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the internet.

Beware some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.

FAQ

You can take the supplement daily and do not need to cycle it. However, it is certainly not a problem if you don’t take it daily. Not taking the supplement every once in a while could lead to better absorption.

All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes some time that can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they often contain bovine gelatine, which rarely comes from an ethical source.

Yes. The nutrient doesn’t impact your sleep in any negative way in the short term.

Chromium supplements are extremely stable outside of the body and thus have a very long shelf-life.

The supplements should not become harmful once they exceed the expiration date, but they slowly can lose potency over time.

Keep the supplements in a cold, dark, and dry place, and they should remain just as potent for many years.

The supplement can improve acne in women with PCOS. It doesn’t directly help with acne for other people.

While toxicity is rare, too much chromium in the system can cause some health problems, such as renal damage and rhabdomyolysis. It is best to stay below 1000 mcg a day to prevent these side effects.

All supplemental forms of this mineral are easy to absorb and about equally as safe. Chromium polynicotinate may be slightly more beneficial than other forms because it provides small amounts of nicotinic acid (niacin).

You may need more of the nutrient if you:
– are a type II diabetic
– often crave carbohydrates
– are a woman suffering from PCOS

The half-life of chromium in the body is anywhere from 6 hours to 15 days, depending on where it gets stored.

You should notice the benefits almost instantly after consuming a meal if you have a blood glucose monitor available. If the supplement has a positive effect, you should notice a smaller blood sugar spike after you finish the meal.

Most chromium supplements on the market are vegan-friendly but always check the label to be sure. If you buy the mineral in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatine. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.

The nutrient is fat-soluble, so you should take it with food to absorb it well.

No, it doesn’t. The supplement does not interfere with fasting in any significant way. However, taking it with a meal is still better because dietary fat increases its absorption.

References

Most of the information provided in this guide is supported by scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything said in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.

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