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Mega Chromium is a trace mineral usually obtained from the diet. A trace mineral (also called trace element) is a substance that the human body requires in very small amounts. Although results from a number of small studies show that chromium supplements may help to control type 2 diabetes, evidence is not consistent.

A recent 6-month long study comparing chromium yeast to placebo found neither made a difference for individuals with type 2 diabetes. The study participants were taking an oral antidiabetes drug and eating a "western" diet. An analysis of 40 published studies, however, found some indication that chromium supplementation could help to reduce blood sugar levels for patients with type 2 diabetes, but not for individuals with normal blood sugar. For individuals with high blood sugar levels, chromium may enhance insulin utilization and increase the number and activity of insulin receptors in the body. Lowered blood sugar may not be seen until chromium has been taken for several weeks, however; and normal levels of blood sugar do not appear to be affected by supplemental chromium.

Although chromium's possible antidiabetic effects still need to be proved definitively, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows the makers of one kind of chromium supplements--chromium picolinate--to put the following information on product labels:
"One small study suggests that chromium picolinate may reduce the risk of insulin resistance, and therefore possibly may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. FDA concludes, however, that the existence of such a relationship between chromium picolinate and either insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes is highly uncertain."

Because it appears to alter the breakdown of fats in the diet, chromium may also be beneficial for individuals with some types of high cholesterol. In one human study, chromium supplementation lowered triglyceride levels, but did not affect other types of cholesterol in the blood. In other studies that included individuals with and without high cholesterol, chromium may have decreased both total cholesterol and "bad cholesterol"--low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Additionally, increased blood levels of the "good cholesterol" high density lipoprotein (HDL) have been noted in several human studies of chromium, including one study of men who were taking a type of high blood pressure drugs known as beta blockers.

In recent years, chromium has been publicized as a weight loss agent and an athletic supplement for increasing the amount of lean body mass. However, study results for these uses are inconclusive. Several years ago, a few small studies correlated weight loss with chromium supplementation, and some subsequent studies confirmed those results. However, other recent research has failed to find that chromium supplementation has any effect on body weight or structure. In fact, at least one animal study found that chromium supplementation was actually associated with weight gain. In the studies that were conducted with humans, most participants followed a low-calorie diet and/or exercised while taking chromium supplements, so any observed weight loss probably resulted from several factors. Similarly, earlier reports of chromium's role in changing body composition have not been duplicated. More research is needed to prove or disprove these uses.

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