What are chrome tablets?
Chromium tablets are supplements that contain the essential mineral chromium.
Chromium plays an important role in supporting your metabolism and stable blood sugar levels.
Because the body cannot produce chromium itself, it is important to obtain this mineral through food or supplements.
Chromium occurs naturally in foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and brewer's yeast. Meat and liver also contain small amounts of chromium.
Chromium picolinate: the best choice
Chromium picolinate is the best form of chromium because of its high bioavailability. This means your body can easily absorb and utilize this form.
There are 3 other forms you will find in chromium supplements, namely:
- Chromium chloride (inorganic)
- Chromium citrate (organic)
- Chromium nicotinate (organic)
Good to know : All the forms of chromium mentioned contain trivalent chromium (chromium (III)) . This is the biologically active and stable form of chromium. The main difference between these four forms is the substance to which the chlorine molecule is bonded. This bond determines how well your body can utilize it.
The benefits of chromium picolinate
Chromium picolinate is chromium linked to picolinic acid, which has several advantages over the other forms:
- Organically bound – Because it's organically bound, chromium picolinate's structure closely resembles chromium found in natural food sources. This makes it easier for your body to recognize, ensuring proper absorption and effectiveness.
- Stable structure - Chromium picolinate is more effective than other forms due to the stable structure of three picolinic acid molecules, which ensures better absorption in the body.
- Highest Bioavailability - It has the highest bioavailability of all chromium forms, meaning more of the chromium ingested is usable. This is important because your gut can only absorb 2.5% of all chromium. (1)
- Highly Efficient – Picolinic acid helps transport chromium across cell membranes, further increasing efficiency.
These properties make chromium picolinate a popular and reliable choice for a chromium supplement.
Why chromium is important for your body
Although there is still much to discover about this mineral, we do know that chromium:
- Plays an important role in supporting insulin function. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body process carbohydrates, fats, and proteins . Chromium is part of a protein called chromodulin, which helps insulin perform its function effectively. (2)
- Helps keep your blood sugar levels stable. This is not only good for your energy levels, but it also helps prevent peaks and troughs in your sweet tooth.
How much chromium per day?
There are no specific recommendations from the Health Council for chromium, and chromium deficiencies are not very common in the Netherlands.
If you want to use chromium, we recommend taking 200 mcg per day. This is a strong, but safe dosage. Our chromium product contains exactly this amount and also contains the most absorbable form.
Too much chrome
You don't need to worry about getting too much chromium through your diet. Of course, this is different with supplements containing high doses of chromium.
It is known that a daily amount of 1 milligram of chromium has no harmful effects (Nutrition Center).
So, you could take five doses of our chromium supplements daily without any harmful effects. However, we recommend taking a maximum of one dose per day.
Dosage in chromium tablets
Because there are no clear guidelines for how much chromium you need per day, the dosages in chromium tablets also vary considerably. Most range between 35 and 120 micrograms, but some supplements contain up to 1,000 micrograms.
My advice: Choose a chromium supplement with an effective, yet safe dosage of 200 mcg.
When do you need extra chrome?
Extra chromium can be useful if you often suffer from energy dips.
Chromium helps keep your blood sugar levels stable, which is especially important if you find yourself craving sweets or experiencing energy drops between meals. (3)
Good to know: It's sometimes said that chromium is good for your athletic performance, but this hasn't been proven. Studies show that chromium has no significant effect on muscle growth or endurance. (4)
Chrome and weight management
Balancing your sugar intake can help you minimize snack cravings. That's why chromium is sometimes added to products aimed at weight management.
However, there is no scientific evidence that chromium in tablet form is effective for weight management. More research is needed to better understand the potential effects of chromium. (5)
Conclusion
Much remains unknown about chromium, but it's clear that the mineral plays an important role in regulating blood sugar levels. It's also proven that chromium supports metabolism and helps process macronutrients.
Sufficient chromium in your diet is therefore important and can be easily and safely supplemented with chromium tablets.
It is best to choose chromium tablets with chromium picolinate in a dosage of 200 to 400 mcg per day.
Sources used
- Office of Dietary Supplements - Chromium . (nd). https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/chromium/HealthProfessional/
- Kircheva, N., Toshev, N., & Dudev, T. (2022). Holo-chromodulin: competition between the native Cr3+ and other biogenic cations (Fe3+, Fe2+, Mg2+, and Zn2+) for the binding sites. Metallomics , 14 (10). https://doi.org/10.1093/mtomcs/mfac082
- Suksomboon, N., Poolsup, N., & Yuwanakorn, A. (2014). Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of chromium supplementation in diabetes. Journal Of Clinical Pharmacy And Therapeutics , 39 (3), 292–306. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpt.12147
- Williams, M. H. (2005). Dietary Supplements and Sports Performance: Minerals. Journal Of The International Society Of Sports Nutrition , 2 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-2-1-43
- Tsang, C., Taghizadeh, M., Aghabagheri, E., Asemi, Z., & Jafarnejad, S. (2019). A meta‐analysis of the effect of chromium supplementation on anthropometric indices of subjects with overweight or obesity. Clinical Obesity , 9 (4). https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.12313
