Chromium Has No Nutritional Benefits, A University Of Alabama Study Shows

Researchers from the University of Alabama discovered that, contrary to prevailing wisdom, chromium has no nutritional benefit. Results of the research, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, showed that chromium, designated by the National Academies of Science as an essential element in 1980, is not, in fact, essential. The study, which involved feeding a group of rats with a near chromium-free diet, reinforced scientists’ growing skepticism about the supposed nutritional benefits of chromium. Results, however, showed that when consumed in large doses, chromium potentially has a therapeutic effect on diabetes. For the meantime, researchers doubt the value of chromium-based nutritional supplements, which are the second best selling mineral supplement in the United States.