As you may or may not know, more than 90% of adults in the United States are deficient in chromium. The reason for this is that chromium is not easily absorbed by the body through foods. Even if you are taking vitamin supplements you could be having a hard time getting enough chromium as the body has a difficult time absorbing the mineral. Chromium is not a supplement you should simply start taking because you may be deficient, you should learn more about the different types of chromium that are available so you can choose the type that is going to benefit you the very most.
Many studies have been done on the need for chromium and one well sited study was performed at the University of Minnesota on rats. The rats that were fed with a chromium supplement lived on average about 45 months while those who were not fed the chromium supplements lived much shorter lives with an average of 33 months. The rats that were markedly deficient on chromium usually did not live more than 24 months.
Chromium is important because it enhances the body’s response to insulin, which is important for processing glucose or sugar in the proper manner. It has been shown through studies that supplements of chromium will reduce blood glucose levels. When blood glucose levels remain high it affects proteins in the body and this damage protein has been linked to a lower life expectancy in those that have diabetes.
A very popular type of chromium supplement is known as chromium polynicotinate. This form of chromium is sold under several names and is essentially niacin bound chromium. This type of chromium appears to have some advantages that other forms of chromium, such as chromium picolinate, can offer. These benefits are hard not to consider, making chromium polynicotinate the type of chromium that most health experts would prescribe.
Much of the problem with chromium picolinate is that if it is taken in large amounts it can cause chromosome damage but when the same amounts of chromium polynicotinate the same damage did not occur. While the damage that occurred in a study setting involved very high doses of chromium picolinate that normally would not be found in supplements, it does call into question the overall safety of the chromium picolinate. The chromium polynicotinate has since been considered a much safer alternative. Studies have also shown that the niacin that the chromium is bound to is actually helpful in the absorption of the chromium by the body, so you are getting a safer form of chromium that is more easily utilized by the human body.
Many consumers have a difficult time knowing which form of chromium they should be taking. Chromium polynicotinate is the most favorable because it has not been shown to create or cause any damage to the body or internal organs and a lot of research has been done on it to prove that it is safe. There are other, more affordable forms, but many of them have not been well researched so it is difficult to ascertain how much of the supplement is actually being absorbed by the body.
Chromium is a mineral that we all need. Chromium is thought to be part of a complicated picture of insulin resistance. So, taking chromium polynicotinate will help to reduce insulin resistance in your body in a safe manner. When you reduce or do away with the problem of insulin resistance you will lower blood sugar levels or even stabilize them which will low the aging process that the body goes through and may allow you to live longer and healthier.
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