![\"2adee2495272e118e692c52b49269f56\"](\"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2adee2495272e118e692c52b49269f56.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIT\u2019S RENOWNED for helping slim the figure, but this dietary supplement could be killing you.<\/p>\n
Chromium is an ingredient in many off-the-shelf supplements marketed for weight loss and blood sugar control, helping consumers to shift excess flab, and manage insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. It\u2019s in the vast majority of multivitamins on the market.<\/p>\n
But Australian scientists say they have conclusive proof that it is converted by the body into a cancer-causing chemical, with their findings recently published in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie.<\/p>\n
The study, led by the universities of Sydney and NSW, has shown that living cells convert chromium III into its \u201ccarcinogenic cousin\u201d, hexavalent chromium.<\/p>\n
Remember Erin Brokovich, starring Julia Roberts as law clerk-turned-ecowarrior?<\/p>\n
Hexavalent chromium is the deadly chemical she discovered was contaminating the groundwater in her Californian town, where residents were developing cancerous tumours at a disturbing rate.<\/p>\n
The research team injected chromium III into animal fat cells in the laboratory, then mapped the chemical elements within them under an intense X-ray beam at a synchrotron facility.<\/p>\n
This allowed them to not only see the chromium spots throughout the cell but also to determine whether they were the carcinogenic form.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were able to show that oxidation of chromium inside the cell does occur, as it loses electrons and transforms into a carcinogenic form,\u201d UNSW\u2019s Dr Lindsay Wu said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first time anyone\u2019s seen it in a cell.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said more research was needed to ascertain whether the supplements significantly alter cancer risk, but that the findings should raise a red flag for anyone taking chromium pills long-term or in high doses.<\/p>\n
Only time will tell whether it is taking a deadly toll \u2014 it takes decades for tumours to develop as a result of exposure to the chemical.<\/p>\n
Chromium is a trace mineral sold as nutritional supplements, with some containing up to 500 micrograms per tablet.<\/p>\n
Experts say that the only people who need chromium supplements are those with a deficiency, advising against using it as a weight loss tool.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s current National Health and Medical Research Council Nutrient Reference Values, which are under review, recommend 25-35 micrograms of chromium daily as an adequate adult intake, but multivitamins can contain more than five times that amount.<\/p>\n
Australian vitamins company Blackmores sells supplements containing chromium III, and its researchers maintain that it is beneficial.<\/p>\n
A Blackmores Institute spokeswoman said chromium III\u2019s safety was supported by European Food Standards Authority and World Health Organisation evaluations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis study makes no meaningful contribution,\u201d the spokeswoman told The Australian.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther published studies show that chromium does not easily transfer into cells, and instead is stored or excreted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Photo: UNSW<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IT\u2019S RENOWNED for helping slim the figure, but this dietary supplement could be killing you. Chromium is an ingredient in many off-the-shelf supplements marketed for weight loss and blood sugar control, helping consumers to shift excess flab, and manage insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. It\u2019s in the vast majority of multivitamins on the market. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1346"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1346"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1437,"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1346\/revisions\/1437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ubune.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}