Briefly Explain about the Chromium?
As you will go through this section, you will realize that compared to other minerals, the essentiality of chromium was recognized very late. Let us briefly review its history. By the year 1948, chromium was recognized as a consistent component of plant and animal tissue. In 1950, it was recognized as an element which potentiated insulin action and restored normal glucose tolerance in rats. In humans, studies were initiated between 1964-68, wherein chromium supplementation was shown to improve impaired glucose tolerance. Despite these studies, the essentiality of chromium in human nutrition was documented as late as in 1977, when a female patient on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) developed diabetes - like symptoms that were refractory to insulin. Chromium supplementation was shown to alleviate these symptoms and insulin was no longer required. Subsequent studies confirmed these findings.
Chromium also exists in several oxidation states from Cr2- to Cr 6+ however Cr3+ or the trivalent form is also the biologically important one. Cr 6+, which is consumed in small amounts, comes from industrial sources. In the acidic environment of the stomach, Cr6+ is converted to C3+.
Unlike other minerals, chromium is present in small amounts in human body. The kidneys, followed by spleen, liver, lungs, heart and skeletal muscle are the tissues with greatest chromium concentration.