All About Chromium

No, this isn’t going to be an article about Google or web browsers; today, we’re talking about minerals. Chromium is a mineral that is essential to our overall health, and especially our eye health. It is found in a variety of delicious foods, and it makes sure all protein and carbohydrates are broken down and stored correctly.

Chromium has a slightly unique effect on eye health as it helps to decrease intraocular pressure. This is an especially important mineral in today’s digital age. Many who suffer from digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome often experience increased intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure is also one of the main causes of glaucoma, making getting your daily dose of chromium all the more important.

What Is Chromium?

Well, as mentioned, it’s a mineral that the body requires. Like copper gluconate, the human body requires only trace amounts of chromium to be at optimal health. However, a chromium deficiency can be detrimental. It’s important to know how this mineral works, how to spot a deficiency, and what do to about it.

First, let’s take a look at what chromium does for our bodies. In the body, it is most used to help your metabolism process different substances. It is a natural blood sugar regulator because it helps insulin attract the right amount of glucose to cells, which are then stored for energy.

In addition, this element also helps your metabolism by breaking down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Without it, your metabolism slows down and it becomes difficult to break down foods and nutrients.

Further studies are needed to verify these theories, but this mineral may be linked to raising good cholesterol levels (high-density lipoproteins or HDL), as well as preventing heart disease. Because we need so little amount of chromium, it is easy to forget about getting it into our diets. However, it’s found in so many common foods that deficiencies are rare.

Just because extreme deficiencies are rare, that does not mean that a mild deficiency won’t hurt your health. There are a few signs and symptoms to watch out for to know if someone is chromium deficient:

• Glucose intolerance and the development of diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Slow healing time after an injury or surgery
• Nearsightedness

A chromium deficiency in children and teenagers can also affect their growth. They often will exhibit similar symptoms as the ones listed above, so keep an eye out for these issues in your young ones.

If you think you may have a deficiency, speak to your doctor about it andd take the right steps to get the right amount of chromium back into your diet.

Chromium, Your Eyes, and You

Chromium is the body’s regulator. Without it, our blood sugar would be off the charts. The element also regulates intraocular eye pressure. A little pressure is good, but too much can lead to vision conditions such as glaucoma.

Glaucoma is caused by pressure in the eye that can lead to optic nerve damage. It goes without saying that this disease will significantly decrease your ability to see. And of course, any condition as serious as glaucoma that goes untreated will inevitably lead to blindness. Chromium won’t cure glaucoma, but it sure will help prevent it!

Intraocular eye pressure can also be a result of longs days spent in front of a screen. True, I’ve spent long hours in front of a screen as I write this. But, I write this comfortably knowing that I have had my intake of chromium for the day!

If you suffer from digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome, ask your doctor to be tested for a chromium deficiency. If they don’t detect a deficiency, good for you! But you’ll still want to make sure your levels don’t drop.

Keeping chromium levels normal has never been easier. You can keep your eye pressure regulated and healthy by simply adding it to your diet. Because you only need a little amount of it, you can easily get it by eating your normal foods.

Where Can You Find It?

Chromium comes from its natural solid form, the rock chromite. Of course, when we talk about chromium, we are not talking about this form of the mineral. Don’t worry – you won’t need to ingest a rock to get the health benefits.

In nature, this mineral is scattered around the world in soil, plants, animals and other places. It is more commonly found in its ingestible form than it is in its chromite form.

You can get chromium in certain supplements. However, dietitians don’t generally recommend taking pure chromium supplements. Getting the mineral into your body can be easily done by eating regular foods.

That doesn’t mean you can’t take supplements containing chromium. Our Ocu-Plus Formula contains just the right amount of this element, among other vitamins and nutrients.

If you do decide to take supplements, be sure to discuss it with your doctor first, as too much chromium can lead to poisoning. Your doctor will help you balance the your intake in the supplements with that in your food.

Chromium in Food

You can find this mineral in a vast amount of food, so this is probably the reason chromium deficiencies are rarely extreme cases in the US. We are lucky enough to have access to grocery stores and restaurants that offer different types of food.

Here are our top 10 picks for food containing chromium:

• Oats
• Barley
• Broccoli
• Romaine lettuce
• Shellfish
• Pears
• Beef
• Turkey breast
• Pork chops
• Mashed potatoes

As you can see, there’s something for everyone on the list. We eat most of this food on a daily basis without even thinking about it. That’s why it is so simple to get the right amount of chromium into your diet. All you need to do is eat your favorite foods!

The element has numerous health benefits, including protecting against intraocular eye pressure. Your eyes can rest knowing you’re taking care of them by getting a good amount of chromium into your body.