Approximate dose-response bands. Individual response varies — these are starting points, not prescriptions.
Well below target. Risk of deficiency symptoms tied to glucose metabolism.
Below the recommended daily target. Long-term adequacy not assured.
Daily target met. Standard nutritional support for glucose metabolism.
Common for specific health goals. Check the evidence for your situation before sustaining this level.
Past the point where extra intake typically helps. Evidence for further benefit is thin.
You're at 0% of your chromium target. The biggest single-serving sources to top it off:
Trace mineral whose biological essentiality has been challenged. The 1959 'glucose tolerance factor' work has not held up; EFSA's 2014 review concluded no essential function is established. The US DV (35 mcg) is legacy. Chromium picolinate is the most-studied supplement, with modest insulin-sensitivity effects in insulin-resistant adults.
Older models proposed that chromium binds 'chromodulin', a low-molecular-weight chromium-binding peptide, that amplifies insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Modern biochemistry has not confirmed this. If chromium has any pharmacologic effect, it is at supplemental doses (200–1,000 mcg/day) and limited to insulin-resistant subgroups.
No reliable cases of spontaneous chromium deficiency in humans. A few historical TPN case reports without chromium are the only published examples.
Trivalent chromium (Cr3+, supplements) has very low toxicity at typical supplement doses. Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+, industrial pollutant) is carcinogenic — completely different category.
Chromium picolinate is the most studied. If you supplement, 200 mcg/day is a reasonable starting dose; benefits are most plausible in people with existing insulin resistance. Skipping it is also reasonable — EFSA's review found no essential function established.
Only ~0.4–2.5% of dietary chromium is absorbed. Organic forms (picolinate, polynicotinate) absorb modestly better than inorganic. Vitamin C and niacin slightly enhance absorption; antacids reduce it.
Low signal. Modern essentiality is contested; supplementation effects are small and limited to insulin-resistant subgroups. Whole-food intake from a typical diet is unlikely to be a healthspan-limiting factor.
Insulin signaling support; glucose uptake.
The mechanisms and systems this nutrient feeds. Click any to drill into what runs on it.
★ = load-bearing / primary cofactor. Track these in My Journey.
Whole foods that contribute meaningfully (≥10% DV per 100 g serving). Click any food to see its full nutrient profile and what else it brings to the table.
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