Chromium (chromium polynicotinate)

All supplements are not FDA approved (like medication).  They can put ANYTHING on the label and say "not evaluated by the FDA" and they are covered.  But that doesn't make it bad.  Supplements are great and I don't know one doctor that doesn't recommend at least something now and then, and I know some doctors who recommend supplements for every ailment in the book.  I'm in the middle for my patients- supplements can help a lot, but sometimes a prescription just helps more.  

Let start with Chromium.  Most of what I know about Chromium off the top of my head is from the movie Erin Brockovich (with Julia Roberts in 2000)- when she went to the college person about chromium and how some can be life saving and awesome and then others will give you all sorts of scary cancer.  Hmmm...I hope it's not the scary one ;)  Just kidding- that was called Hexavalent Chromium (yes, I owned that VHS!)

Let's start with good old WebMD- I have many patient's that go here first for their symptoms- but don't realize they have a pretty decent data base for supplements and medications.

According to the WebMD website (no author listed, accessed 1/17/2016 at http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-932-chromium.aspx?activeingredientid=932&activeingredientname=chromium) Chromium is thought to help with several problems including diabetes (and any other blood sugar problem including polycystic ovary aka:PCOS), cholesterol, depression, weight loss and athletic performance.  The website cites studies which show an improvement for diabetics in blood sugars and also in cholesterol including raising good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering bad cholesterol (LDL).  It is possibly ineffective for the athletic performance and mood problems- there are no/few studies to support this claim.

You can take this supplement by mouth and absorb it- the daily recommended value is based on age which is available on the website (see link above)- but the dosage studied and recommended for diabetics is between 200-1000 mcg daily.   From studies it appears adults can take up to 1000 mcg safely daily, but shouldn't exceed that amount.  For children you should once again check the website for the daily allowance.
There are no side effects listed on the website, but there are a few people who should avoid (or at least be very cautious and work with your health care professional) any kind of Chromium supplement- people with known kidney disease, liver disease, and allergies to Chromium.   People on psychiatric medication (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia) should be careful because it may change how your medication works- same with diabetes- watch for low blood sugars.  Chromium should be safe for most pregnant women and lactating women.
Chromium may interact with a few medications so be careful:

• blood sugar medications- once again may lower your blood sugar.
• thyroid medication- it decreases how much thyroid medication you absorb and should be separated- thyroid medication should be taken 30 minutes before or 4-5 hours after taking chromium
• NSAID medications- Ibuprofen, Advil, Aleve, Motrin, etc. may increase how much chromium you absorb- take separately.

*Note- the studies that showed the problems with liver and kidneys was a different chromium called Chromium Picolinate- which also has studies linked to weight gain, not loss*

Although I may joke about people with "WebMD medical licenses" it does have a lot of good info!  

But this is Chromium in general- not Chromium polynicotinate.  The polynicotinate is a substance called niacin or nicotinic acid that is bound to the chromium the help with absorption- this means this chromium MIGHT be absorbed easier. The information gathered from an article on Livestrong website- from S. Busch 12/12/2015 titled "Chromium Polynicotinate Dangers"- so her addition on this type of Chromium is people on heart medications should be aware Nicotinic acid is in this supplement and to let their medical provider know.  The rest of the dangers are the same (thyroid medication and low blood sugar).   Here's the link if you'd like to see the article- http://www.livestrong.com/article/216812-chromium-polynicotinate-dangers/

Some major media spots for chromium polynicotinate include the Dr. Oz show in 2013 where a doctor discusses some of the benefits of this type of chromium- she discusses blood sugar and weight loss with this type of supplement.  You can watch the video here: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-julie-chen-shares-some-tips.