Table of contents:
- What are the benefits of chromium in diabetes?
- What are the sources of chromium?
- Is chromium safe for consumption?
- So, the conclusion…
Some of you may already know the use of chromium in the chemical industry or metal factories. However, did you know that this mineral has a positive side to lower blood sugar levels in the body? Check out the explanation in the following review.
What are the benefits of chromium in diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition when there is insufficient insulin in the body so that the level of glucose in the blood rises. Here, the mineral chromium turns out to have a very important role in controlling blood glucose levels in diabetics.
Reporting from the Diabetes.co.uk page, research shows that this mineral can reduce insulin levels and increase blood glucose metabolism in diabetics with obese bodies. In essence, all studies that use the benefits of this mineral for glucose intolerance disorders and diabetes, show a positive effect.
This mineral is able to help the work of the insulin hormone, to be precise by converting glucose in the blood to be used as energy for the body. So that blood glucose in diabetics, which often increases, may decrease because of the help of this mineral. So, people with diabetes will be greatly helped by the presence of chromium in the body.
It turns out that besides being useful in diabetes, this mineral also has other benefits. Among them are useful for building muscle, burning fat, and helping the body use carbohydrates. For the eye, low chromium levels can increase the risk of glaucoma. This mineral element in bones is also useful to help prevent loss, especially in women when they enter menopause.
What are the sources of chromium?
Diabetics can get the benefits of this mineral from eating foods that are rich in minerals. The following foods are high in chromium:
- Seafood such as shellfish, fish and oysters
- Bread
- Brown rice
- Beef
- Chicken meat
- Broccoli
- Cheese
- Egg
- Dairy products
- Fresh vegetables
- Green beans
- Mushroom
- Yeast
Is chromium safe for consumption?
No need to worry if this mineral is more commonly found in the chemical industry, refractories, and metal factories. The reason is, industrial chromium is clearly different from that in food ingredients, so it is safe for consumption. Usually this mineral is consumed in supplement form, but there are also processed products that mix these minerals in their composition.
All you need to remember when consuming this mineral, make sure you don't consume it more than the recommended dosage. The effects resulting from excessive consumption of this mineral are rare, but if you exceed the recommended dosage it can cause stomach problems, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), damage to the liver, kidneys, nerves, and result in an irregular heart rhythm.
If you take medications such as aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen, the chromium levels in your body can increase. So you should stop taking chromium supplements at the same time as taking these pain relievers.
So, the conclusion…
Chromium can be said to be a nutrient that helps insulin work in the body. So it is clear, that this mineral intake is important for blood sugar metabolism. In addition to adjusting your diet, exercising regularly, and regularly taking diabetes medications or routine insulin injections, consumption of this mineral source in diabetics can also help you control your blood sugar.
Not only people with diabetes who can feel the benefits, people without diabetes also show positive effects when consuming this mineral. It can be said that someone who gets chromium intake - either from supplements, processed products, or food - can avoid the risk of diabetes.
