What is Chromium?
Chromium, like iron, copper and zinc, is one of 16 essential trace minerals your body needs to keep healthy and fit. And for athletes, chromium may be the most precious metal of all.
In its biologically active form, chromium helps insulin metabolize fat, turn protein into muscle and convert sugar into energy. In fact, chromium-activated insulin increases the amount of glucose available for energy production nearly twenty fold (Chart 1). In other words, it optimizes energy output to give you more power for a longer, harder workout.
What else does Chromium do?
"Muscle burn" or "hitting the wall" occurs when the body's energy-producing capacity is stretched beyond its limits. By increasing the efficiency of glucose utilization, chromium expands these limits so you can push ahead, farther and faster. Chromium is also the "master" nutrient for controlling blood sugar. It helps overcome sugar cravings, a problem many people experience due to diets high in sugars and refined carbohydrates. It also helps level out the highs and lows of a high carbohydrate diet, promoting a steady stream of available glucose for continuous, prolonged energy.
Do YOU need Chromium?
A lack of chromium can impair insulin function, inhibiting muscle development and energy production. Worse, it can lead to type II diabetes and even heart disease.
ChromeMateŽ is a superior source of bioavailable, biologically active chromium that can significantly enhance your chromium nutritional status. It can promote insulin function and boost your physical performance.
Chromium is rapidly depleted as a result of vigorous exercise. Following a strenuous workout, chromium loss has been shown to increase five times the normal rate. And consumption of sugars and refined carbohydrates, a major part of many athletes diets, can increase chromium loss up to 300%.
Are you getting enough Chromium in your diet?
U.S. Government studies show that the diets of nine out of ten Americans are deficient in chromium, containing less than the minimum safe and adequate amount established by the National Research Council (50-200 micrograms/day). The problem is even worse for athletes whose nutritional requirements are far greater than most people. Worse yet, normal food processing removes up to 80% of the chromium in those foods and less than 2 percent of the chromium from most food sources is actually absorbed. Even by eating well, it is difficult to replenish depleted chromium stores.
How can you increase your Chromium intake?
Foods rich in biologically active chromium (the form that activates insulin action) are Brewer's yeast, black pepper, liver and wheat germ. But even Brewer's yeast, the richest known source of biologically active chromium in nature, contains only a few micrograms of chromium per gram. Less than 10% of this is in the biologically active form. Higher potencies of biologically active chromium (up to 200 micrograms) are available in HTN products that contain ChromeMate. Not only is ChromeMate absorbed significantly better than any other dietary chromium, it's also very convenient to take.
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