Ask Monica: Where's the chromium?

Q. This is a great web site! It's one of the best for nutritional information. But why don't you include chromium in your analysis?

A.  Glad you like NutritionData! Most of the nutrition information you see displayed on NutritionData is provided by the federal government. The USDA's food composition database is one of the largest in the world, including more than 7,000 foods and about 140 nutrients. As comprehensive as it is, however, it is not exhaustive. There are many foods that the Nutrient Data Laboratory has not yet analyzed. There are also important nutrients that are not included in their analysis: chromium is  one of them.

Chromium is a micromineral, meaning that we need only very small amounts (25 to 30 micrograms a day) of this nutrient in order to be healthy. Nonetheless, it is essential to human health.  Chromium helps your body process sugar (glucose) correctly and chromium deficiency can cause problems with blood sugar regulation.

Does chromium burn fat or build muscle?

Chromium is also a popular dietary supplement. Many people believe that taking chromium will help them lose weight, burn fat, or increase muscle mass.  There is very little good evidence supporting any of these claims.  However, there is strong evidence to suggest that chromium supplementation (200 mcg/day) can improve glucose metabolism in those with insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

Researchers estimate that most American adults get enough chromium from their normal diet to prevent deficiency.  There's not a lot of information about how much chromium various foods contain, but here is a table from the Linus Pauling Institute's Micronutrient Research Center, listing the chromium content of some foods:

Food	Serving	Chromium (mcg)
Broccoli	1/2 cup	11.0
Green beans	1/2 cup	1.1
Potatoes	1 cup, mashed	2.7
Grape juice	8 fl. ounces	7.5
Orange juice	8 fl. ounces	2.2
Beef	3 ounces	2.0
Turkey breast	3 ounces	1.7
Turkey ham (processed)	3 ounces	10.4
Waffle	1 (~2.5 ounces)	6.7
Bagel	1	2.5
English muffin	1	3.6
Apple w/ peel	1 medium	1.4
Banana	1 medium	1.0