Recent Blog Articles
Icy fingers and toes: Poor circulation or Raynaud’s phenomenon?
Evoking calm: Practicing mindfulness in daily life helps
Finding balance: 3 simple exercises to steady your steps
Boosting your child’s immune system
Study: No effect on cognitive functioning from treatments for advanced prostate cancer
Surprising findings about metabolism and age
Thinking about COVID booster shots? Here’s what to know
POTS: Diagnosing and treating this dizzying syndrome
Did we really gain weight during the pandemic?
Dropping anchor on big emotions
Chromium: The forgotten mineral
Chromium: The forgotten mineral
It's one of the most common elements in the earth's crust and in seawater, but only tiny amounts are present in the human body. Its role in treating diabetes in animals was described in the 1950s, but its role in human health is still unclear. It's wildly popular in the United States as a supplement for weight loss, but it's not effective in that role. It's chromium — a forgotten nutrient that may finally get some respect because of new studies of chromium and heart disease, diabetes, and cholesterol.
What is chromium?
Most men who think of chromium remember it as the shiny metal in the bumpers of their first cars. Chrome bumpers have gone the way of eight-track tapes, but the metal has a crucial, if incompletely understood, role in human health.
To continue reading this article, you must log in.
Subscribe to Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School.
- Research health conditions
- Check your symptoms
- Prepare for a doctor's visit or test
- Find the best treatments and procedures for you
- Explore options for better nutrition and exercise
I'd like to receive access to Harvard Health Online for only $4.99 a month.
Sign Me UpAlready a member? Login ».
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
