Everything You Need to Know About Chromium

Chromium isn't a micronutrient you tend to hear a lot about, but it’s an essential one nevertheless. This mineral plays a role in metabolizing protein, carbohydrates, and fats and providing energy to your muscles and brain, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but it may be best known for its ability to increase insulin sensitivity.

Like other minerals, chromium doesn’t naturally occur in the body, so it must be obtained through diet or supplements. Here’s more about chromium, including how much you need, whether you might be deficient, how chromium may impact weight loss and diabetes, and the best foods for obtaining this vital nutrient.

Chromium: What It Does and Why We Need It

Although we need to ingest chromium in small amounts, the mineral has two forms, and one can be toxic. The kind we find in food is known as trivalent or chromium 3+, while the form emitted by industrial pollution is called hexavalent or chromium 6+, according to the NIH.

The former plays a key role in metabolism. “Basically, you need chromium to properly convert the food you eat into energy,” says Kristi King, RD, who works at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. This necessary mineral supports the role of insulin, a hormone that’s critical for the absorption and storage of glucose, or blood sugar, according to the NIH.

“Chromium works with insulin to help your body use blood sugar and may also be involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins," explains Melissa Majumdar, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the bariatric coordinator at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Decatur, Georgia.

While there is no recommended daily allowance (RDA) for chromium, the amount that healthy people should consume on average, known as the adequate intake (AI), ranges from about 20 to 45 micrograms (mcg) per day for adults, notes Torey Armul, RD, who is based in Columbus, Ohio. “There’s not enough established research to set a recommended daily allowance for it,” she says. Instead, the NIH lists daily intakes based on usual chromium intakes in healthy populations, depending on age and gender:

• Infants ages 0 to 12 months: 0.2 to 5.5 mcg
• Children ages 1 to 3 years: 11 mcg
• Children ages 4 to 8 years: 15 mcg
• Boys ages 9 to 18 years: 25 to 35 mcg
• Girls ages 9 to 18 years: 21 to 24 mcg
• Men 19 to 50 years: 35 mcg
• Women 19 to 50 years: 25 mcg
• Men over 50: 30 mcg
• Women over 50: 20 mcg
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding: 29 to 45 mcg

According to the NIH, data on people’s average chromium intake versus AI is limited, especially because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t require labels to list chromium content unless it’s been added to food. Research, however, has found that participants' mean intake of the mineral exceeds the AI for both men and women, suggesting that most people in the United States have intakes similar to what’s recommended.

In the same way that insufficient evidence prevents the setting of an RDA for this nutrient, there isn’t a tolerable upper limit (UL) for chromium (or a maximum amount you should have). In fact, there are few side effects linked to high chromium intakes, says King. “Chromium toxicity tends to be quite rare among those taking it,” she says. Any associated risks are seen in industrial settings and involve the hexavalent form of chromium.

First and foremost, according to the NIH, chromium deficiency is rare. It hasn’t been reported in healthy populations, and further research is warranted to narrow down symptoms. Research with people fed through nutritional support found that supplemental IV chromium alleviated symptoms mimicking diabetes, including weight loss, impaired glucose tolerance, neuropathy, anxiety, fatigue and muscle weakness. This is why chromium is now added to IV formulations, Majumdar explains.

“There’s some thought that the elderly may need more chromium in their daily diets, but currently this is just a hypothesis,” says King. It’s difficult to determine who may be at risk for too little chromium as there isn’t a reliable lab test of biochemical markers that measure the body’s stores.

“It’s hard to gauge this mineral in people because blood levels aren’t reflective of true amounts since the body has its own chromium storage,” says Majumdar, adding that chromium is stored in the liver, spleen, soft tissue, and bones.

The main reason that chromium deficiency is so rare is that this nutrient is found in an abundance of foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, and even wine. Good sources of chromium, according to MedlinePlus and the NIH, include broccoli, green beans, potatoes, apples, bananas, whole grains, peas, cheese, corn, grapes, beef, liver, eggs, oysters, wheat germ, and chicken poultry.

“You can also get chromium from garlic, basil, turkey, sweet potatoes, English muffins, and waffles,” notes King. Grape juice is an excellent source of chromium, with 7.5 mcg per cup. Diets that are high in simple sugars — in which simple sugars make up more than 35 percent of calorie intake — can reduce absorption of chromium, according to the National Library of Medicine. Because the absorption of chromium from the intestines is small, you might try to improve this process by targeting the way you eat. Fruits and vegetables with vitamin C and niacin, a B vitamin found in meat, poultry, fish, and grains, can enhance chromium absorption, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Chromium supplements aren’t necessary unless you’ve been instructed by your physician to take one. “A healthy, balanced, and varied diet will provide you with all you need,” says Armul. In addition, if you take a daily multivitamin, chromium tends to be regularly included in most preparations.

As for claims that chromium may aid in potential weight loss or enhance athletic performance, there’s little research to support those statements. “Keep in mind that supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA,” says King.

In fact, if you were to take a supplement, it’s unclear which form of chromium is best to try. And there are multiple kinds, including chromium picolinate, or chromium nicotinate, which is chromium combined with picolinic acid; niacin-bound chromium, which is chromium combined with vitamin B3; and chromium chloride, which is a chemical compound commonly used in IV nutritional support. “There’s some indication that chromium chloride has poor bioavailability, the amount that is absorbed and used by the body, while chromium picolinate and chromium nicotinate are more bioavailable,” notes Majumdar.

There’s been a good deal of research looking into the role that chromium might play in managing type 2 diabetes, because this mineral is one of the main elements required for the metabolism of carbohydrates. “Some people take extra chromium to help with blood sugar control because it plays a role in insulin activity,” reports Armul. Chromium deficiency interferes with the body’s ability to use glucose and increases the need for more insulin, according to the NIH.

Unfortunately, research on the topic has become increasingly unfavorable for chromium. In 2014, the American Diabetes Association established in its standards of medical care that there is insufficient evidence to support the routine use of chromium to improve glycemic control in people with diabetes. Then a study published in July 2016 in Nutrition Reviews found limited evidence of effectiveness in the use of chromium for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. A review and meta-analysis published in March 2021 in Biological Trace Element Research also found that although chromium supplements may slightly reduce A1C readings in people with type 2 diabetes, all other markers — including glucose and blood lipid levels — aren’t effectively improved by the supplement.

“It should be noted that studies that have shown chromium to be beneficial have recommended that it be used in conjunction with traditional diabetes management practices,” says King.

In addition to being unregulated, chromium supplements can also make unsubstantiated claims, with some stating they can help reduce body fat. The science, however, doesn’t hold up: Research on overweight participants found that those who took 1,000 mcg for 24 weeks had no change in body mass index compared with a placebo group. More than two dozen other studies showed no significant changes in body mass or composition for those who took 200 to 1,000 mcg of chromium a day. Subsequent reviews of clinical work determined that while there was some benefit when taking chromium picolinate, the differences were small.

As mentioned, there is no UL for chromium, and no safety concerns have been reported at the recommended doses of 25 to 45 mcg per day for adults, says Majumdar. “And since foods normally have small amounts (less than 2 mcg per serving), consuming too much from dietary sources is unlikely," she adds.

“Some research shows that taking more than 1,000 mcg daily can worsen insulin sensitivity and, over time, may cause kidney or liver damage,” King points out.

Before you add more chromium to your diet — or any type of supplement — speak with your doctor. Certain drugs can react with chromium, rendering one or both less effective. “Antacids, corticosteroids, H2 blockers, and proton pump inhibitors alter stomach acidity and may impair chromium absorption,” says Majumdar. And nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and prostaglandin inhibitors like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and aspirin shouldn’t be taken with chromium as their effects may be enhanced, she adds.