ABSTRACT
Safe, effective agents, so-called “insulin sensitizers,” that can ameliorate insulin resistance (IR) and many associated perturbations including metabolic syndrome (MS) are sorely needed. It is generally accepted that IR is a major driving force behind MS, a syndrome that includes aspects of diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, many cardiovascular disorders, and generalized inflammation. Regrettably, the quest for pharmaceutical drugs to overcome IR has reached a roadblock due to the adverse reactions regularly associated with these types of drugs. However, insulin sensitizers are available in the form of dietary supplements. One of the first and certainly among the best is trivalent chromium. Trivalent chromium is a safe, natural essential nutrient required for sugar and fat metabolism that functions mainly through optimizing insulin sensitivity. Aside from MS and associated disorders, chromium can be useful to direct overall metabolism toward body fat loss with substantial sparing of lean fat-free body mass and a longer, more healthful and productive lifespan. However, much, perhaps most solid information concerning trivalent chromium derives predominantly from animal studies. Keeping this in mind, the present chapter will update information by concentrating more on reports with positive findings to provide some idea of what “could be” rather than what “is,” primarily because of the dearth of information derived from human clinical trials dealing with trivalent chromium.
