In America, more than ninety percent of adults have a chromium deficiency. The same difficulty of Chromium absorption is also noted from nutritional supplements. The United States Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center has recommended the use of a daily supplement of 50 micrograms to 200 micrograms of chromium picolinate. The essential trace mineral which is vital for glucose metabolism is poorly absorbed and rapidly excreted on a daily average of 7-11 micrograms. Chromium is believed to enhance the effectiveness of insulin, a hormone necessary for the processing of glucose.
Supplemental chromium seems to reduce blood glucose levels.
High levels of glucose and problems with insulin activity cause glycation, a process by which damages vital proteins in the body. This protein damage is the principal reason that diabetics have a lower life expectancy than normal. It has been known for several decades that restricting calorie intake by about one-third will increase the life span by fifty percent or more. In every species tested, calorie restriction has produced a significant increase in life span. It is believed that the effectiveness of calorie-restriction is due to the lower blood glucose levels created by the reduction of calories.