The average American diet is chromium deficient, only one in ten Americans have a adequate amount of chromium in their diet.

Consuming large quantities of carbohydrates and sugar cause a loss of chromium from the body. When your body exhibits low levels of the trace mineral, your craving for sugars grow.

Even without dieting, chromium can increase your total lean body mass, which in turn speeds up your metabolism and burns additional fat.

Chromium is important for controlling noninsulin-dependent (Type II) diabetes. It may also benefit people who have the insulin-dependent (Type I) form of the condition.

A deficiency of chromium has also been associated with a higher chance of developing heart problems. Chromium helps raise the blood's concentration of artery-clearing HDL cholesterol and, at the same time, decreases LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The reduction is even more impressive, researchers report, when a little niacin accompanies the chromium.

Chromium may alleviate chronic headaches and contribute to the treatment of acne, which appears to be caused in part by disturbed insulin metabolism.