Getting Enough Chromium
Filed Under Lower cholesterol Remedies |
The Daily Value for chromium is 120 micrograms. The average American man consumes 33 micrograms of the mineral a day, and the average woman, 25 micrograms. “We collected data on 32 people over seven consecutive days, and not one of them averaged even 50 micrograms of chromium over that one-week period,” says Dr. Anderson. Good sources of chromium include turkey ham, grape juice, broc- coli, unpeeled apples, green beans and whole-wheat products. So, apparently, are some breakfast cereals. “Total breakfast cereal is very high in chromium,” says Dr. Anderson. “One serving contains nearly 27 micrograms of chromium, which is probably as much as you’ll get from everything else you eat all day.” But you need to watch the rest of your diet, too, says Dr. Anderson-especially if you have a sweet tooth. Consuming too many highly processed, sugary foods can rob the body of chromium (which is excreted through the urine). According to Dr. Anderson, “Eating lots of simple sugars may also increase your need for chromium supplements because you’re consuming fewer chromium-rich foods. So you need to pay attention to your overall diet as well as to the amount of chromium you’re getting.”
Dr. Anderson recommends taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement containing 50 to 200 micrograms of chromium. “One leading brand contains 100 micrograms of chromium,” he says. “That extra 100 micrograms a day can serve as an insurance policy should there be a deficiency in your diet.” If you have diabetes, you may need even more chromium, says Dr. Anderson-about 400 to 600 micrograms a day. Is consuming this amount of chromium safe? Yes, says Dr. Anderson. “We’ve been studying chromium for decades, and we’ve never documented a single case of a negative effect,” he says. Still, check with your doctor before taking more than a 200-microgram supplement per day.