Minerals · 3 min read ·

Chromium: it may not be needed at all

Chromium is sold for weight loss and blood sugar. But the European Food Safety Authority found no convincing evidence that people need it at all.

51.996 Cr 24 ?

In a nutshell

1Is it needed at all?

EFSA assessment no recommendation EFSA concluded that neither a requirement nor an adequate intake can be set for chromium. Its essentiality was inferred mainly from a few patients on long-term intravenous feeding, and even these cases are not convincing. In healthy people EFSA found no benefit from chromium intake.1

In the EU, supplements may contain trivalent chromium as chromium(III) chloride, lactate, nitrate, picolinate or sulphate, or in chromium-enriched yeast.3 EFSA has not set an upper level for trivalent chromium — the data are not sufficient.2

2Blood sugar and diabetes

Moderate evidence 15 studies A summary of 15 randomised trials with 618 people: in people without diabetes, chromium did not change blood sugar or insulin. In people with diabetes it helped in only one large study from China; the other studies showed no effect.4
Weak evidence 28 studies A newer summary of 28 studies in people with type 2 diabetes: chromium lowered fasting blood sugar by 19 mg/dL and glycated haemoglobin by 0.7 points. But the results of individual studies varied extremely, so the conclusion is uncertain.5

3Weight loss

Moderate evidence −0.5 kg A summary of 11 randomised trials in overweight people: chromium took off 0.5 kg more than placebo on average. According to the authors, the effect is small and its clinical relevance uncertain.6

4Absorption

Weak evidence — small studies about 1% In humans, 0.8–1% of the chromium from chromium picolinate and phenylalaninate was absorbed. Picolinate is absorbed by a different route, but the body quickly excretes it in the urine, so no more of it stays in the body than from other forms.7
Weak evidence — a small study 24 hours In a study of young women, more chromium appeared in the urine after picolinate than after nicotinate or chloride — suggesting more of it was absorbed.8

What to take from this

Sources

Written on , based on studies available at that date. Newer research may change the conclusions.

  1. EFSA NDA Panel (2014). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for chromium. EFSA Journal 12:3845. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3845
  2. EFSA (2025). Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels as derived by the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) and the EFSA Panel on Nutrition (version 11). efsa.europa.eu
  3. Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements, Annex II — forms of vitamins and minerals permitted in supplements (consolidated version 26 Nov 2025). eur-lex.europa.eu
  4. Althuis M. D. et al. (2002). Glucose and insulin responses to dietary chromium supplements: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 76:148–155. doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/76.1.148
  5. Asbaghi O. et al. (2020). Effects of chromium supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pharmacol Res 161:105098. doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105098
  6. Onakpoya I., Posadzki P., Ernst E. (2013). Chromium supplementation in overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Obes Rev 14:496–507. doi.org/10.1111/obr.12026
  7. Laschinsky N. et al. (2012). Bioavailability of chromium(III)-supplements in rats and humans. Biometals 25:1051–1060. doi.org/10.1007/s10534-012-9571-5
  8. DiSilvestro R. A., Dy E. (2007). Comparison of acute absorption of commercially available chromium supplements. J Trace Elem Med Biol 21:120–124. doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2007.01.004

This is general information and does not replace a doctor. Food supplements are not medicines; buy them from trusted sellers and talk to a doctor if you are ill or take medicines.