Chromium

What is chromium?

Chromium is an essential trace element that the body cannot make, so it must come from food. According to MedlinePlus, chromium is important in the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates and aids insulin action and glucose breakdown. Good food sources include brewer’s yeast, meat, whole grains, eggs, broccoli and some fruits and spices. Adequate intakes for adults range from about 20 to 35 micrograms a day depending on age and sex, and most people get enough from a varied diet.

Supplements usually contain chromium picolinate, chromium chloride or chromium polynicotinate, often at doses many times higher than the adequate intake.

What the research says

Blood sugar. The best-studied use of chromium is in people with type 2 diabetes. A 2020 meta-analysis in Pharmacological Research of randomized controlled trials found that chromium supplementation was associated with lower fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c and insulin resistance scores. However, heterogeneity between studies was extremely high, meaning results varied a lot depending on the population, dose and form. MedlinePlus notes that chromium may help reduce insulin resistance but is not recommended as the sole treatment for diabetes.

Weight. The evidence is weaker. A Cochrane review of chromium picolinate for overweight or obese adults included nine trials with 622 participants and rated the evidence as low quality. It found no firm evidence and no dose response, and concluded there is no current, reliable evidence to inform firm decisions about chromium’s efficacy and safety for weight loss.

We rate the evidence as limited overall: possibly helpful for glucose markers in people with diabetes, and unproven for weight management in healthy people.

How it’s used in supplements

Chromium appears in blood sugar formulas, weight-loss products and multivitamins. Because chromium is poorly absorbed and quickly excreted, MedlinePlus notes that toxicity from food is not common. At supplement doses, people with diabetes should be aware that chromium may add to the effect of their medication and could contribute to low blood sugar, so they should talk to their doctor and monitor glucose. People with kidney or liver disease should also seek medical advice before taking chromium supplements.

In Java Burn and Claritox Pro, chromium is listed without an amount on the official sales pages, so it is not possible to compare either product with the doses used in research.

If you are interested in chromium for blood sugar support, the most useful step is to discuss it with your doctor, who can check your glucose markers and medications. For weight, the evidence does not justify paying a premium for chromium-containing products.