Stop Aging Now

Agriculture’s Dr. Anderson says you could take three hundred times the recommended dose of 200 micrograms without “getting in trouble.” But since chromium might be deposited in the liver and kidneys and since extra high doses are generally unnecessary, there’s no reason for most people to go above 200 micrograms per day in a supplement as general antiaging protection.

At present there is no reliable test for chromium deficiency.

To prevent chronic diseases as you age, ordinary healthy teenagers and adults need about 200 micrograms of chromium a day. Chromium expert Dr. Evans advises 400 micrograms for men. If you are diabetic or trying to improve blood cholesterol or triglycerides, you need more—from 400 to 1,000 micrograms daily, say authorities.

Also good are the niacin-bound chromiums, such as ChromeMate and Solgar GTF chromium. Chromium chloride, often put in multiple-vitamin-mineral pills, is less effective. It is inorganic, which means your body must convert it to an active type before it does any good; some people don’t do this well. But any type of chromium is better than none, say authorities

Choose organic, “biologically active” forms of chromium. That includes the popular chromium picolinate—a particular organic-type supplement, developed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Foods high in chromium are brewer’s yeast, broccoli, barley, liver, lobster tail, shrimp, whole grains, mushrooms and some brands of beer, due to contamination during processing. However, much chromium in food is not well absorbed.

Evidence indicates DHEA may improve brain function, memory loss, immunity, muscle fatigue and bone fragility and perhaps may help block cancer.

Chromium may also curb signs of aging by promoting rises in the all-important antiaging hormone, DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone). High insulin levels squash production of DHEA by inhibiting an enzyme that converts a chemical into DHEA.

Further, animals deprived of chromium suffer extensive plaque buildup in their arteries. Injecting animals with chromium has caused plaque in their aortas to shrink, reversing atherosclerosis. Many experts insist that insulin and blood sugar disorders, partly correctable by chromium, are far more important factors in heart disease than high blood cholesterol.

By making insulin more efficient, chromium improves immune functions. Insulin helps direct many immune functions, such as stimulating interferon and T-lymphocytes—white cells that destroy germs.