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Chromium

Chromium

Best for

Flatten post-meal blood sugar spikes

Promising early signal · 160–1000 mcg/day for 26 weeks · 3 studies , n=24

21 papers · 4 claims · 37 outcomes scored · 4 positive

Outcomes

What chromium actually does, by outcome

Each row is one outcome with effect size, evidence base, the dose that worked in trials, and time to first effect. Magnitude tiers come from native-unit MCID where available, Cohen's d otherwise.

Outcome Effect Evidence Dose Weeks Rank
Flatten post-meal blood sugar spikes Promising early signal
moderate 		3 RCTs n=24 160–1000 mcg 26 wk #7/51
Improve insulin sensitivity Likely modest benefit
small 		12 meta-analyses n=9.7k Meta-analyzed 160–1000 mcg 8–26 wk #1/78
Steady your blood sugar levels Likely modest benefit
small 		11 meta-analyses n=3.7k Meta-analyzed 1.28–1000 mcg 8–26 wk #5/109
Lose weight on the scale Likely real but unnoticeable
trivial 		7 meta-analyses n=2.4k Meta-analyzed 160–1000 mcg 10–26 wk —
Buy well

Recommended Chromium products

Real products that dose Chromium where the research does, in a clean formulation, from brands we've audited. We only list ones we'd stand behind.

Chosen for adequate Chromium dosing vs. the studied range, a clean formulation (grade A–C), and independent brand-quality audits. Not sponsored.

Risk profile

Adverse events and known drug interactions

Safety events

serious adverse events (unspecified) severe
dizziness mild
preputial gland adenoma
clitoral gland adenoma
New diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus during study
DNA damage
Chromosomal aberration
Micronuclei

Drug interactions

Olanzapine moderate decreases concentration

Co-studied with

Supplements that share evidence with chromium

Sources

  1. 1. Chromium supplementation in impaired glucose tolerance of elderly: effects on blood glucose, plasma insulin, C-peptide and lipid levels. (1992) ↑
  2. 2. Chromium effects on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in persons at risk for diabetes mellitus. (2011) ↑
  3. 3. A Double-Blind, Randomized Pilot Trial of Chromium Picolinate for Overweight Individuals with Binge-Eating Disorder: Effects on Glucose Regulation. (2017) ↑
  4. 4. Effect of chromium supplementation on glucose metabolism and lipids: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. (2007) ↑
  5. 5. Antioxidant effects and insulin resistance improvement of chromium combined with vitamin C and e supplementation for type 2 diabetes mellitus. (2008) ↑
  6. 6. Characterization of the metabolic and physiologic response to chromium supplementation in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. (2010) ↑
  7. 7. Effect of chromium on glucose and lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes; a meta-analysis review of randomized trials. (2013) ↑
  8. 8. A double-blind, randomized pilot trial of chromium picolinate for binge eating disorder: results of the Binge Eating and Chromium (BEACh) study. (2013) ↑
  9. 9. Effect of chromium supplementation on glycated hemoglobin and fasting plasma glucose in patients with diabetes mellitus. (2015) ↑
  10. 10. The Influences of Chromium Supplementation on Glycemic Control, Markers of Cardio-Metabolic Risk, and Oxidative Stress in Infertile Polycystic ovary Syndrome Women Candidate for In vitro Fertilization: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. (2018) ↑

Generated August 14, 2026

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