The benefits of chromium on our health are numerous: necessary to the body, it allows to regulate the carbohydrates secreted by the pancreas, to control the arrival of the sugar of the food in the blood or to boost the lean mass at the expense of the fat.

The point on the promises of this slimming boost before the bikini test.

What is the use of chrome?

We do not joke with chromium: this ultra-efficient trace element is essential to the body . Knowing that we can go from an undeniable benefit to a zero efficiency according to the dose taken and the needs of each, who has an interest in swallowing it in tablet?

He is the teammate of insulin, the hormone for storage and regulation of carbohydrates secreted by the pancreas. It helps to control the intake of sugar from the diet into the blood, to get it into the cells and to stabilize blood levels - blood glucose - at a normal level. When the system breaks down, when the cells are less sensitive to insulin secretions, the body must produce more.

The body eventually develops resistance (insulin resistance), which often goes hand in hand with a chromium deficiency. This makes the bed, among others, the massive storage of fat in the adipocytes.

In fact, the ingested sugar not used by the body is transformed into lipids and stored in the fat cells.

Other consequences of this dysfunction: the metabolic syndrome (lipids bind specifically to the belly and stomach with, in addition, either a rising sugar and / or triglyceride, or HDL cholesterol - the good - downward), overweight, of course, and diabetes.

In addition, "inefficient insulin leads to increased lipogenesis and lipid storage. Muscle proteins are lost. But, on the contrary, if insulin works normally, we maintain the synthesis of proteins and preserve our lean mass, "says Professor Anne-Marie Roussel, Joseph-Fourier University of Grenoble. Chromium accentuates the action of insulin .

In addition, it increases HDL cholesterol - the good cholesterol - and lowers triglycerides, helping to prevent the build-up of fat inside the vessels.

What daily dose of chromium do we need?

Our daily chromium requirements are 60 to 65 micrograms (μg) . But we absorb little more than 40 μg.

"Even with a balanced diet, we can be deficient, without being deficient so far," says Professor Xavier Leverve, laboratory of human nutrition and food safety at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA).

Chromium is found mainly in the liver, spices, egg yolk and brewer's yeast, but in minute doses.

The latter do not reach 10 μg / 100 g for whole grains, thyme, seafood and vegetables (broccoli, green beans, potatoes, plums, wheat germ, mushrooms). To do it well, they should be swallowed unrefined and without skimping. Thus, 1 kg of whole wheat provides 175 μg of chromium; once refined, only 23 μg remain.

On the other hand, "there is a big difference between the chromium level of a food and the amount that really benefits the body. The same dose in different menus can lead to less absorption, due to the interaction of certain components, "adds the researcher to INRA. Stress also increases our needs.

Chromium, a regulator of blood glucose

The small deficit of our plates is it at the origin of our rolls? No, since he is too weak.

On the other hand, if one is in menopause or pre-menopause, if one has abdominal fat or a significant overweight, it is possible that one has a real deficit in chromium. Insulin resistance increases your tendency to accumulate fat.

Second important point: the chrome, in itself, does not lose weight.

On the other hand, "it increases the lean mass, that is to say the muscles. But these are big consumers of energy. With chromium, the basic metabolism is increased - the body burns more calories than it usually spends to make the heart beat, keep the temperature at 37 ° C, secrete hormones ... In the end, we consume more energy, and therefore more fat, "says nutritionist Kathy Bonan.

In addition, "by assisting insulin, chromium normalizes a constant blood sugar without peaks, which would reduce the storage of fat," says Pascale Seite, pharmacist of Forté Pharma laboratory.

It would also wring havoc to the infernal trio hypoglycemia / pump stroke / sweet cravings. "A study published in 2005 in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice shows that chromium will reduce sweet compulsive nibbling," says Dr. Bonan, "particularly during blues, moments of fatigue in the late afternoon and during premenstrual syndrome ".

Chromium and dietary supplements

"We can supplement the portion of the diet with 25 μg to reach the recommended 60 to 65 μg," says Professor Roussel. The deficit is small, the dose too. But to boost the lean mass at the expense of fat, it is necessary to increase the doses seriously.

An interesting gesture in some women: "Yes to this supplementation, effective and useful, for those whose chromium intake is deficient - namely women who are around the menopause or who have abdominal fat in a metabolic syndrome, overweight important or obesity. They will restore their lean mass and maintain it, "clarifies Anne-Marie Roussel.

An interesting asset, when we know that the decline in lean mass is the announced growth of body fat.

But be careful: "Taking high preventive supplementation to stay slim, it has no effect in healthy young women," insists the professor. To be sure of ingesting the right amount of chromium, one must read the labels carefully and not be content with the name "chrome".

Scientists are unanimous: " Below 25 micrograms, chromium is not used for nothing, it's marketing, " warns Anne-Marie Roussel.

Chrome: watch out for dosages!

The French Food Safety Agency goes further, concerning manufacturers: "Put a little bit of chrome is not very expensive and can tell the consumer that the product contains everything remaining in the guidelines of the legislation. With, ultimately, a useless product, without nutritional interest, "says Professor Irene Margaritis, head of the evaluation unit on nutrition and nutritional risks.

If the recommended dosage in France is 25 μg, the European directives are different.

These are based on the principle of "free movement of food between countries". Food supplements are considered as food and not medicine. Clearly, if a supplement is already authorized on the Spanish, British or Portuguese market, at a much higher dosage and in a form different from that authorized in France, the same supplement - although not authorized in France - can be sold in all European legality in our pharmacies and parapharmacies.

We therefore find all the dosages: 25, 60, 100, 200 μg ... Professor Roussel suggests taking supplements of "120 μg per course of three months, with a one-month stop, only for women who are in the second part of life or with the symptoms mentioned above ".

Still, according to the experience of each nutritionist and the progress of different studies, science does not always agree in unison.

Thus, assuming that "even when following a non-strict diet, the mineral intake is reduced," the nutritionist Kathy Bonan advocates for adult women "180 micrograms of chromium at the beginning of the diet, then, as early as the stabilization phase, cure of one month every three months; or year-round, in maintenance, if one is particularly prone to sweet impulses and if one supports taking non-stop pills ".

Are there any risks of overdose? Absolutely not. "Our organization knows how to protect itself. When one does not need chromium or when there is too much of it in the body, the absorption decreases . No impact either on the thyroid with chromium taken orally, in addition or in the diet, reassures Professor Xavier Leverve.