Chromium
Also known as: Chromium picolinate, Trivalent chromium
Chromium is a trace mineral discussed for its possible role in how the body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Despite heavy marketing around blood sugar and weight, the research picture is underwhelming: results are mixed, the American Diabetes Association does not recommend chromium supplements for people with diabetes, and weight-loss trials found effects too small to be meaningful. The practical caution is that combining it with insulin or antidiabetes medication can contribute to low blood sugar, and it may reduce levothyroxine absorption.
Snapshot
What this page can tell you: Commonly discussed timing, food notes, caution categories, and an honest note on how much source review this entry still needs.
What it cannot: Whether this is appropriate for you personally, or that it treats, prevents, or cures any condition. Informational only — discuss with a clinician or pharmacist.
🕒 Timing
When: With a meal
Food: With food
Commonly taken with food; separate from thyroid medication.
💊 Common use range
25–35 mcg
No established upper limit, but people with kidney or liver disease are advised to be cautious about high amounts.
Ranges are informational, not a recommended dose. Talk to a professional about what is right for you.
🤔 Worth considering?
Evidence vs. effort: Limited evidence relative to burden
Heavily marketed for blood sugar and weight, but the evidence behind both claims is weak — the ADA does not recommend it for diabetes, and weight effects in trials were too small to matter. The interaction with insulin and diabetes medication is the practical reason to ask before using it.
A general summary, not a recommendation. Whether something fits your situation is worth discussing with a healthcare professional.
⚠️ Commonly noted interactions (supplements)
None listed.
Often about absorption or timing rather than danger — separating doses is common. This list is not exhaustive.
🧭 Caution level
Ask a clinician or pharmacist before use.
- Blood-sugar / glucose-lowering caution category
- Mineral spacing considerations
- Glucose-lowering / diabetes medication interaction
- Higher caution if you take thyroid medication (space doses apart)
- Higher caution if you have kidney disease
- Higher caution if you have a liver condition
Caution level is an informational summary of commonly discussed caution categories and doses — not a safety rating, approval, or medical advice. Low caution does not mean safe for you.
🩺 Medication caution categories
- Diabetes medication
- Thyroid medication
- Kidney disease (health condition)
- Liver conditions (health condition)
🏥 Surgery & procedure caution
Because it appears in blood-sugar discussions, mention it when reviewing your supplement list before any scheduled procedure.
If you have a procedure scheduled, bring your full supplement list to your surgical and anesthesia team. Do not stop prescribed medication unless your clinician tells you to. Do not start or stop supplements based only on this app.
✅ Quality checklist
- Prefer products with third-party testing or a certificate of analysis (COA).
- Check the label for the exact form and the elemental or active amount per serving.
🧩 Commonly paired with
None listed.
🔁 Alternatives
None listed.
🗣️ Questions for a professional
- I take insulin or diabetes medication — could chromium push my blood sugar too low?
🔬 Evidence snapshot
Chromium may play a role in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, but study results are mixed: the American Diabetes Association does not recommend chromium supplements for people with diabetes, and weight-loss trials found only very small effects.
🧪 Forms & quality
Needs evidence review — no source-reviewed information yet. We only show dose and monitoring details after they have been checked against reputable sources.
See the supplement glossary for what form names like "L-", chelated, or standardized extract mean.
📏 Dose & monitoring
Evidence vs. burden: Limited evidence relative to burden
😐 Commonly reported side effects
- Generally well tolerated at common doses; long-term high-dose safety is less studied
Non-exhaustive and individual.
🔄 Cycling & breaks
No established cycling pattern.
📅 Daily use notes
If you use insulin or antidiabetes medication, discuss chromium first — the combination can contribute to low blood sugar. Take levothyroxine well apart from chromium, and be cautious with high amounts if you have kidney or liver disease.
📋 Source review status
Source-reviewed — last reviewed 2026-07-03
Reviewed against the NIH ODS chromium consumer fact sheet; editorial pass still pending.
Research backlog (queries to verify):
- chromium picolinate glycemic control meta-analysis
- chromium supplement kidney liver case reports
📚 References
- NIH ODS — ChromiumNIH ODS — Verified mixed blood-sugar evidence and ADA non-recommendation, very small weight-loss effects, kidney/liver-disease caution, and insulin/antidiabetes-medication/levothyroxine interactions.
Verified against the source shown. See the research-status page for how review works.
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