Chromium Supplementation And The Essentiality Of Chromium To Human Nutrition: A Narrative Review

TL;DR

This review examines the effects of chromium supplementation on blood sugar and lipids, questioning its essential role in human nutrition and highlighting the need for more rigorous trials.

Contribution

It critically assesses existing evidence, challenging the notion of chromium as an essential nutrient and evaluating its purported benefits for T2DM management.

Findings

Chromium supplementation shows no clear benefit on glycemia.

The essentiality of chromium in human nutrition is increasingly questioned.

Further high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm chromium's role.

Abstract

This narrative review evaluates the effect of chromium supplementation on glycemia and serum lipids, with an emphasis on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Additionally, this narrative review evaluates the essentiality of the trace mineral chromium to human nutrition. Meta-analyses and reviews were included, while certain clinical trials were specifically included to discuss flaws or impact. Overall, this narrative review concludes that chromium supplementation likely has no beneficial effect on glycemia or serum lipids (in subjects with or without T2DM). This narrative review also concludes the essentiality of chromium to human nutrition has become increasingly challenged over time, with some investigators postulating that chromium is pharmacologically active rather than an essential trace mineral. However, further randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are necessary to come to solid conclusions about the effect of chromium supplementation and the essentiality of chromium to human nutrition. This investigation is necessary as manufacturers continue to market chromium supplements as helpful aids to T2DM patients based on flawed studies.