Hello, I am concerned that my mother possibly has chromium toxicity, which could cause liver, or kidney damage. She has been taking 1600 mcg of Chromium picolinate for seven or eight weeks. I honestly believe it to be six weeks now. Do you believe damage has incurred? She shows no signs of any kidney damage, or odd urination patterns. Although the first stages of kidney disease are "silent".
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WARNING!
I have liver disease, but I took chromium to help my blood sugar problems, since I thought it was safe to take. By the time I figured out the chromium was damaging my liver, it was too late. Even though I already had liver problems, things were going fairly well, but the chromium made my liver much worse and my kidneys also took a big hit. If the liver can't handle excess chromium, apparently the kidneys can also get damaged. I took about 300 mcg of yeast chromium daily for several weeks. I think people with liver disease should avoid chromium supplements and multivitamins. However, certain B vitamins (perhaps Megafood b complex 1/4-1/2 tablet), vitamin D3 and K2 (as MK-7, but avoid titanium dioxide) might be ok at low or appropriate doses. As it turns out, the DRI for chromium is 25-35 mcg and my diet had enough already. The government says "Adult women in the United States consume about 23 to 29 mcg of chromium per day from food, which meets their AIs unless they're pregnant or lactating. In contrast, adult men average 39 to 54 mcg per day, which exceeds their AIs [14 ]." I guess this means that virtually every chromium supplement on the market is potentially an overdose. I poisoned myself and my blood sugar level was not even helped. A high-fiber vegan diet fixed my blood sugar problem, but I had to stop eating fruit. The label on my chromium bottle claimed that the RDA was 120 mcg, which was apparently inaccurate. Either way, most people get enough chromium in their diet and should consider avoiding this metal supplement (and most mineral pills), unless they are truly deficient. It's easy to overdose, since most people already get the DRI or close to it. Also, certain minerals can build up in the body. I wish I had known the risks - there was certainly no warning label on the bottle. Too much chromium might worsen insulin sensitivity. Chromium picolinate might cause chromosome damage. Chromium yeast supposedly has a high bioavailability, therefore it might cause toxicity easier than other forms, but I don't really know. If I was lucky and had a healthy liver, I would never use chromium supplements or multivitamins. Supplement sellers want you to believe the soils are totally deficient, and that you need to buy their metal pills.
