Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T09:25:40.376Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Chromium and insulin resistance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 December 2007

Richard A. Anderson
Richard A. Anderson*
Affiliation:
Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, ARS, Building 307, Room 224 BARC–East, Beltsville, MD 20705–2350, USA
*
Corresponding author: Dr Richard A. Anderson, fax +1 301 504 9062, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Insulin resistance leads to the inability of insulin to control the utilization and storage of glucose. It is associated initially with elevated levels of circulating insulin followed by glucose intolerance which may progress to type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. While the causes of these diseases are multifactorial, one nutrient that is associated with all of these abnormalities is Cr. In the presence of Cr, in a biologically active form, much lower levels of insulin are required. Modern diets, which are often high in refined carbohydrates, are not only low in Cr, but lead to enhanced Cr losses. In response to the consumption of refined carbohydrates, there is a rapid rise in blood sugar leading to elevations in insulin that cause a mobilization of Cr. Once mobilized, Cr is not reabsorbed but lost via the urine leading to decreased Cr stores. Several studies involving both human subjects and experimental animals have reported improvements in insulin sensitivity, blood glucose, insulin, lipids, haemoglobin A1c, lean body mass and related variables in response to improved Cr nutrition. However, not all studies have reported beneficial effects associated with improved Cr nutrition. Well–controlled human studies are needed to document an unequivocal effect of Cr on insulin sensitivity in human subjects. Studies need to involve a significant number of subjects with insulin resistance, glucose intolerance or early stages of diabetes, who have not been taking supplements containing Cr for at least 4 months, and involve at least 400 to 600 μg supplemental Cr daily or more. Studies should be at least 4 months to document sustained effects of supplemental Cr on insulin resistance and related variables. Cr is a nutrient and not a therapeutic agent and therefore will only be of benefit to those whose problems are due to suboptimal intake of Cr.

Keywords

ChromiumInsulin resistanceType 2 diabetes mellitusGlucose metabolismSupplementation
Type
Research Article
Information
Nutrition Research Reviews , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , December 2003 , pp. 267 - 275
Copyright
Copyright © The Author 2003

References

Abraham, AS, Brooks, BA & Eylath, U (1992) The effects of chromium supplementation on serum glucose and lipids in patients with and without non–insulin–dependent diabetes. Metabolism 41, 768–771.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Althuis, MD, Jordan, NE, Ludington, EA & Wittes, JT (2002) Glucose and insulin responses to dietary chromium supplements: a meta–analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 76, 148–155.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA (1994) Stress effects on chromium nutrition of humans and farm animals. In Proceedings of Alltech's Tenth Symposium on Biotechnology in the Feed Industry, pp.267–274 [TP Lyons and KA Jacques editors]. Nottingham, UK: University Press.Google Scholar
Anderson, RA (1997) Chromium as an essential nutrient for humans. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 26, S35–S41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA (1998a) Chromium, glucose intolerance and diabetes. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 17, 548–555.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA (1998b) Effects of chromium on body composition and weight loss. Nutrition Reviews 56, 266–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA (2002) Insulin, glucose intolerance and diabetes: Recent data regarding the chromium connection. Trace Elements Nutritional Health and Disease Proceedings 1, 79–86.Google Scholar
Anderson, RA, Bryden, NA & Polansky, MM (1997a) Lack of toxicity of chromium chloride and chromium picolinate in rats. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 16, 273–279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA, Bryden, NA, Polansky, MM & Thorp, JW (1991) Effect of carbohydrate loading and underwater exercise on circulating cortisol, insulin and urinary losses of chromium and zinc. European Journal of Applied Physiology 63, 146–150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA, Cheng, N, Bryden, NA, Polansky, MM, Chi, J & Feng, J (1997b) Elevated intakes of supplemental chromium improve glucose and insulin variables in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes 46, 1786–1791.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA & Kozlovsky, AS (1985) Chromium intake, absorption and excretion of subjects consuming self–selected diets. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 41, 1177–1183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA, Polansky, MM, Bryden, NA, Bhathena, SJ & Canary, JJ (1987) Effects of supplemental chromium on patients with symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia. Metabolism 36, 351–355.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA, Polansky, MM, Bryden, NA & Canary, JJ (1991) Supplemental–chromium effects on glucose, insulin, glucagon, and urinary chromium losses in subjects consuming controlled low–chromium diets. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54, 909–916.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA, Polansky, MM, Bryden, NA, Roginski, EE, Patterson, KY & Reamer, DC (1982) Effect of exercise (running) on serum glucose, insulin, glucagon, and chromium excretion. Diabetes 31, 212–216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RA, Roussel, AM, Zouari, N, Mahjoub, S, Matheau, JM & Kerkeni, A (2001) Potential antioxidant effects of zinc and chromium supplementation in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 20, 212–218.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Borel, JS, Majerus, TC, Polansky, MM, Moser, PB & Anderson, RA (1984) Chromium intake and urinary chromium excretion of trauma patients. Biological Trace Element Research 6, 317–326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brock, JH (1985) Transferrins. In Metalloenzymes, vol.2, pp.183–262 [PM Harrison editor]. London, UK: MacMillan.Google Scholar
Cefalu, WT, Bell-Farrow, AD, Stegners, J, Wang, ZQ, King, T, Morgan, T & Terry, JG (1999) Effect of chromium picolinate on insulin sensitivity in vivo. Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 12, 71–84.3.0.CO;2-8>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cefalu, WT, Wang, ZQ, Zhang, XH, Baldor, LC & Russell, JC (2002) Oral chromium picolinate improves carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and enhances skeletal muscle Glut–4 translocation in obese, hyperinsulinemic (JCR–LA corpulent) rats. Journal of Nutrition 132, 1107–1114.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chang, X & Mowat, DN (1992) Supplemental chromium for stressed and growing feeder calves. Journal of Animal Science 70, 559–565.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davies, S, McLaren, HJ, Hunnisett, A & Howard, M (1997) Age–related decreases in chromium levels in 51,665 hair, sweat, and serum samples from 40,872 patients – implications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes mellitus. Metabolism 46, 469–473.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, CM, Sumrall, KH & Vincent, JB (1996) A biologically active form of chromium may activate a membrane phosphotyrosine phosphatase (PTP). Biochemistry 35, 12963–12969.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, CM & Vincent, JB (1997) Chromium oligopeptide activates insulin receptor kinase activity. Biochemistry 36, 4382–4385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doisy, RJ, Streeten, DHP, Souma, DHP, Kalafer, ME, Rekant, SL & Dalakos, TG (1971) Metabolism of chromium 51 in human subjects. In Newer Trace Elements in Nutrition, pp.155–168 [W Mertz and WE Cornatzer editors]. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker.Google Scholar
Ekstrand, AV, Eriksson, JG, Gronhagen-Riska, C, Ahonen, PJ & Groop, LC (1992) Insulin resistance and insulin deficiency in the pathogenesis of posttransplantation diabetes in man. Transplantation 53, 563–569.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Evock-Clover, CM, Polansky, MM, Anderson, RA & Steele, NC (1993) Dietary chromium supplementation with or without somatotropin treatment alters serum hormones and metabolites in growing pigs without affecting growth performance. Journal of Nutrition 123, 1504–1512.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faul, JL, Tormey, W, Tormey, V & Burke, C (1998) High dose inhaled corticosteroids and dose dependent loss of diabetic control. British Medical Journal 317, 1491.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Institute of Medicine Staff (2001) Dietary Reference Intakes for VitaminA, Vitamin|K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc, pp.197–223. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Jain, SK & Kannan, K (2001) Chromium chloride inhibits oxidative stress and TNF–alpha secretion caused by exposure to high glucose in cultured U937 monocytes. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 289, 687–691.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jovanovic, L, Gutierrez, M & Peterson, CM (1999) Chromium supplementation for women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 12, 91–98.3.0.CO;2-X>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaats, GR, Blum, K, Fisher, JA & Adelman, JA (1996) Effects of chromium picolinate supplementation on body composition: a randomized double–masked placebo–controlled study. Current Therapeutic Research 57, 747–756.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kandror, KV (1999) Insulin regulation of protein traffic in rat adipose cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry 274, 25210–25217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kern, PA, Ranganathan, S, Li, C, Wood, L & Ranganathan, G (2001) Adipose tissue tumor necrosis factor and interleukin–6 expression in human obesity and insulin resistance. American Journal of Physiology 280, E745–E751.Google ScholarPubMed
Kim, DS, Kim, TW, Park, IK, Kang, JS & Om, AS (2002) Effects of chromium picolinate supplementation on insulin sensitivity, serum lipids, and body weight in dexamethasone–treated rats. Metabolism 51, 589–594.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kozlovsky, AS, Moser, PB, Reiser, S & Anderson, RA (1986) Effects of diets high in simple sugars on urinary chromium losses. Metabolism 35, 515–518.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kraegen, EW, Cooney, GJ, Ye, J & Thompson, AL (2001) Triglycerides, fatty acids and insulin resistance – hyperinsulinemia. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology and Diabetes 109, S516–S526.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lopez-Candales, A (2001) Metabolic syndrome X: a comprehensive review of the pathophysiology and recommended therapy. Journal of Medicine 32, 283–300.Google ScholarPubMed
Mandali, SL, Stoecker, BJ, Maxwell, CV, de Rodas, BZ & Arquitt, AB (2002) Endotoxin decreases 51CrCl3 uptake in early weaned pigs. Biological Trace Element Research 88, 145–151.Google ScholarPubMed
Mertz, W, Abernathy, CO & Olin, SS (1994) Risk Assessment of Essential Elements. Washington, DC: ILSI Press.Google Scholar
Morris, BW (1999) Chromium action and glucose homeostasis. Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 12, 61–70.3.0.CO;2-E>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morris, BW, Blumsohn, A, MacNeil, S & Gray, TA (1992) The trace element chromium – a role in glucose homeostasis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 55, 989–991.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, BW, MacNeil, S, Hardisty, CA, Heller, S, Burgin, C & Gray, TA (1999) Chromium homeostasis in patients with type II (NIDDM) diabetes. Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 13, 57–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, BW, Samaniego, S, Fraser, R & MacNeil, S (2000) Increased chromium excretion in pregnancy is associated with insulin resistance. Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 13, 389–396.3.0.CO;2-Q>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pagano, G, Bruno, A, Cavallo-Perin, P, Cesco, L & Imbimbo, B (1989) Glucose intolerance after short-term administration of corticosteroids in healthy subjects. Prednisone, deflazacort, and betamethasone. Archives of Internal Medicine 149, 1098–1101.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ravina, A, Slezak, L, Mirsky, N & Anderson, RA (1999a) Control of steroid-induced diabetes with supplemental chromium. Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 12, 375–378.3.0.CO;2-R>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ravina, A, Slezak, L, Mirsky, N, Bryden, NA & Anderson, RA (1999b) Reversal of corticosteroid–induced diabetes mellitus with supplemental chromium. Diabetic Medicine 16, 164–167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rubin, MA, Miller, JP, Ryan, AS, Treuth, MS, Patterson, KY, Pratley, PE, Hurley, BF, Veillon, C, Moser-Veillon, P & Anderson, RA (1998) Acute and chronic resistive exercise increase urinary chromium excretion in men as measured with an enriched chromium stable isotope. Journal of Nutrition 128, 73–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stojanovska, L, Rosella, G & Proietto, J (1990) Evolution of dexamethasone–induced insulin resistance in rats. American Journal of Physiology 258, E748–E756.Google ScholarPubMed
Striffler, JS, Polansky, MM & Anderson, RA (1998) Dietary chromium decreases insulin resistance in rats fed a high-fat, mineral–imbalanced diet. Metabolism 47, 396–400.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Striffler, JS, Polansky, MM & Anderson, RA (1999) Overproduction of insulin in the chromium-deficient rat. Metabolism 48, 1063–1068.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sun, Y, Ramirez, J, Woski, SA & Vincent, JB (2000) The binding of trivalent chromium to low-molecular-weight chromium-binding substance (LMWCr) and the transfer of chromium from transferrin and chromium picolinate to LMWCr. Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry 5, 129–136.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tuman, RW & Doisy, RJ (1977) Metabolic effects of the glucose tolerance factor (GTF) in normal and genetically diabetic mice. Diabetes 26, 820–826.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vincent, JB (2000) The biochemistry of chromium. Journal of Nutrition 130, 715–718.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yamamoto, A, Wada, O & Suzuki, H (1988) Purification and properties of biologically active chromium complex from bovine colostrum. Journal of Nutrition 118, 39–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed