What is Chromium Deficiency?
The biological role of chromium is associated with its participation in the regulation of carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the human body.
Chromium helps maintain normal glucose sensitivity. Chromium is involved in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism and causes a marked decrease in its level in the blood.
Causes of Chromium Deficiency
The cause of chromium deficiency is often the consumption of a large amount of easily digestible carbohydrates (sugary drinks, confectionery, flour products), as well as the introduction of insulin, which leads to increased excretion of chromium in the urine and depletion of it in the body. Chromium is found in foods in fairly low concentrations. With normal nutrition, it enters the body in an amount only slightly exceeding the lower limit of the physiological needs of adults in chromium.
Improper and uniform nutrition quickly leads to a deficiency of chromium.
Doctors are of the opinion that the low chromium content in foods is due to the widespread alkalization of land. And those crumbs of chromium that we can get from products are destroyed by their refining (cleaning).
Pathogenesis during Chromium Deficiency (Insufficiency)
The daily requirement of the human body for chromium is from 50 to 200 micrograms. Chromium is involved in the regulation of carbohydrate and fat metabolism. It is necessary for the normalization of the enzymatic and hormonal background, indispensable for the activity of the heart muscle and blood vessels. Chromium is needed for the synthesis of DNA and RNA; without it, their structural integrity may be violated. Strengthening immunity, growth and tissue regeneration – also belong to the functions of chromium. One of the properties of this trace element is its ability to process fat into muscle mass. Therefore, it is necessary not only for patients, but also for professional athletes.
Symptoms of Chromium Deficiency
A deficiency of chromium in the body causes a sharp increase in blood sugar and, as a result, a disease of type II diabetes in middle-aged and elderly people. A lack of chromium can trigger the development of heart disease, kidney failure, and exacerbate vision problems. Against the background of a lack of chromium, a low or high blood sugar level may well develop. A sharp loss of chromium is characterized by a deterioration in overall well-being, rapid fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, loss of sensation in the arms and legs, neuralgic pains in the extremities, sudden weight loss, lethargy. Pregnant diabetes today also tends to explain the lack of chromium during gestation.
Animal experiments have shown that a lack of chromium leads to stunted growth, causes neuropathies and impaired higher nervous activity, and reduces the fertilizing ability of sperm.
Treatment for Chromium Deficiency (Insufficiency)
Foods rich in chromium: beef liver, beer, poultry, dried mushrooms, bread, pearl barley, legumes, whole wheat and rye flour.