One of the most exciting breakthroughs in nutrition research of the last decades has been the discovery of the vital roles played by the trace mineral chromium. Although this mineral only occurs in small amounts in foods, it has been shown that if it is absent or dangerously low in the diet, the critical energy-regulating hormone, insulin, is severely impaired in its function.

Chromium helps stabilize the insulin receptors on the cell membrane. When the receptor is stabilized, insulin can “communicate“ with the cells and signal the cells to perform a variety of functions. The insulin signal tells cells to take up more glucose from the blood and metabolize it for energy, store glycogen in muscle and liver for energy, and control triglyceride production in the liver.

Because insulin acts as a controller in regulating the ability of cells to take up sugar from the blood, many functions of the body are seriously hampered by low chromium levels in the diet, including healthy weight maintenance, energy production, and the ability to regulate blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

Researchers have found that the active form of chromium in the body is bound to amino acids and 2 units of nicotinic acid (a form of the vitamin niacin). Albion Laboratories has developed a chromium amino acid niacin chelate, Chromium Chelavite, which is Albion's patented form of chromium. It contains one chromium bound to two units of nicotinic acid, and an amino acid. Research done by Albion Laboratories has shown that this form of chromium is highly absorbable and biologically active. In comparative studies based on typical absorption rates, it was estimated that the total chromium absorbed from our Chromium was as much as 50% greater than other forms of chromium.

Because of the increased need for chromium and the low amounts of chromium in the typical North American diet, our Chromium has been included in Lipo-chromizyme. This extra chromium can help to improve insulin function resulting in improved carbohydrate metabolism and energy.