Chromium Deficiency

What Is Chromium?

Chromium is a mineral that the body absolutely requires in trace amounts for normal metabolism, meaning the physical and chemical processes by which energy is produced and used.

Chromium is especially involved in the use of glucose sugar and lipids such as cholesterol and the effectiveness of insulin hormone.

Q: How is chromium involved in the use of glucose?

A: Very small amounts of chromium are required to enable insulin to move glucose from the bloodstream into cells for use as energy.

Insulin is a hormone that controls the use and storage of glucose in two ways: 1) lowers a rise of glucose in blood after meals by moving it out of the bloodstream into body cells, especially muscle cells and 2) limits the release of glucose from the liver between meals. Insulin is produced by beta cells on the surface of the pancreas.

To date, the molecular mechanism by which chromium affects glucose and lipid metabolism is still unclear.1

What Is Chromium Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

• Relationship between chromiun deficiency and celiac disease. Chromium deficiency results when the level within cells is too low to meet metabolic needs of the body for this mineral due to malabsorption caused by celiac disease.
• Relationship between chromiun deficiency and features. Deficiency is characterized by impaired fetal growth, impaired cholesterol metabolism causing elevated cholesterol and triglycerides in blood with a decrease in HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol), impaired glucose tolerance, and increased likelihood of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a condition in which the cells of the body do not respond to the presence of insulin.
• Relationship between chromiun deficiency and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can lead to elevated blood levels of insulin and elevated blood levels of glucose, which can ultimately cause heart disease and/or diabetes.
• Relationship between chromiun deficiency and metabolic syndrome. Deficiency of chromium is associated with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome represents a group of symptoms, including elevated insulin, high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, high blood sugar levels and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels. These conditions increase risk for heart disease.
• Relationship between chromiun deficiency and coronary artery disease. Low levels of chromium are also associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease and death.

How Prevalent Is Chromium Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Chromium deficiency is increased in untreated celiac disease.

What Are The Symptoms Of Chromium Deficiency?

Chromium deficiency is marked by these symptoms:

• Anxiety.
• Fatigue.
• Mood swings.
• Elevated blood sugar increasing chance of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
• Atherosclerosis (hardeneing of the arteries).
• Elevated overall cholesterol with lower HDL (good) cholesterol.
• In pregnancy, intrauterine growth retardation of the fetus, causing small infants at birth and premature birth.

How Does The Body Get Chromium?

• Chromium must be obtained from the diet since it cannot be made by the body.
• Chromium absorption depends on ionization. Ionization is the process of obtaining a positive electrical charge in the acidic environment of stomach juice.
• Absorption of chromium from the intestinal tract is low, ranging from less than 0.4% to 2.5% of the amount consumed, and the remainder is excreted in stool.
• After absorption in the small intestine, chromium is most likely transported to cells bound to the plasma protein transferrin. Absorbed chromium is stored in the liver, spleen, soft tissue, and bone.2

What Does Chromium Do In The Body?

1. Optimizes insulin function and the regulation of blood glucose (sugar) levels. After eating food, blood glucose levels rise, causing insulin to be secreted by the pancreas. Insulin lowers blood glucose levels by increasing the rate at which glucose enters cells. Chromium is believed to facilitate the attachment of insulin to the cell’s insulin receptors.
2. Participates in cholesterol metabolism with a role in maintaining normal blood cholesterol levels by improving the ratio of high density lipoprotein cholesterol to low density lipoprotein cholesterol.
3. Essential for maintaining the structural stability of proteins and nucleic acids (genetic material).
4. Animal studies have found that chromium is vital for healthy fetal growth and development.
5. Studies on humans have established that premature infants, and those with evidence of intrauterine growth retardation, have significantly lower chromium status compared to infants born full-term. Others have found that women who have given birth two or more times have far lower body chromium levels compared to women who have never given birth.

How Does Chromium Deficiency Develop In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

Chromium deficiency in celiac disease results from malabsorption. That is, chromium is rendered unabsorbable due to these mechanisms:

• Deficiency results primarily from malabsorption of this mineral due to inflammation of the intestinal lining as an immune response to gluten that results in inadequate absorbing surface area.
• Malabsorption can occur as a consequence of low stomach acid. Sufficient acid is required to ionize chromium (receives a positive charge) which is required for absorption later in the small intestine.
• Malabsorption can occur as a consequence of insufficient carrier proteins needed to transport ionized chromium into the bloodstream from the absorbing cells of the small intestine.
• Insufficient plasma proteins to transport chromium from blood into cells.

Does Chromium Deficiency Respond To Gluten-Free Diet?

Yes. Celiac disease-related chromium deficiency responds to a chromium-containing gluten free diet. Chromium supplementation in people with chromium deficiency can improve glucose tolerance and some lipid metabolism parameters.3

6 Steps To Correct Chromium Deficiency:

• 1Meet, or Exceed the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) for Chromium in micrograms (mcg) per day:

• 2Diet – Include Food Sources Richest in Chromium:

Chromium is widely distributed in the food supply, but most foods provide only small amounts (less than 2 micrograms per serving). Vitamin C found in fruits and vegetables and their juices and the B vitamin niacin found in meats, poultry, fish, and grain products enhance the absorption of chromium.

• 3 Diet – Avoid  or Limit These Foods That Deplete or Interfere With Chromium:

• 4Monitor Medications That Deplete or Interfere With Chromium Absorption:

• 5Manage Nutritional Supplements to Obtain Chromium:

• 6Other Supplements That Deplete or Interfere With Chromium Absorption:

Medical Research Findings On Chromium Deficiency In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity:

“Chromium in human nutrition: a review.” Anderson et al. (1991) fed 17 middle-aged human volunteers a low chromium diet for 14 weeks. After 4 weeks of adaptation, chromium or placebo was given for 5 weeks and the treatment crossed over for an additional 5 weeks. There was no change in the nine control subjects who entered the study with a normal glucose tolerance test, but the glucose tolerance test of the eight subjects with impaired glucose tolerance deteriorated further during the placebo period and improved again significantly during chromium supplementation. Insulin and glucagon concentrations rose during the placebo period and fell again during the chromium period. This is the first study of experimentally induced, marginal chromium deficiency. Its results fully support the postulate of chromium as essential for optimal insulin activity.8

1. Lewicki S, Zdanowski R, Krzyżowska M, Lewicka A, Dębski B, Niemcewicz M, Goniewicz M. The role of Chromium III in the organism and its possible use in diabetes and obesity treatment. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2014 Jun 10;21(2):331-335. [↩]
2. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Chromium-HealthProfessional [↩]
3. Racek J. [Chromium as an essential element]. Cas Lek Cesk. 2003; 142(6):335-9. [↩]
4. Accessed from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Chromium-Health Professional [↩]
5. Racek J. Chromium as an essential element. Cas Lek Cesk. 2003; 142(6):335-9. [↩]
6. Terpiowska S, Zaporowska H. The role of chromium in cell biology and medicine. Przegl Lek. 2004;61 Suppl 3:51-4. [↩]
7. Wang X, Zhang W, Chen H, Liao N, Wang Z, Zhang X, Hai C. High selenium impairs hepatic insulin sensitivity through opposite regulation of ROS. Toxicol Lett. 2014 Jan 3;224(1):16-23. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2013.10.005. Epub 2013 Oct 18. [↩]
8. Mertz W. Chromium in human nutrition: a review. J Nutr. 1993 Apr;123(4):626-33. [↩]