Chromium RDA Table
| Life stage | AI (mcg/day) |
|---|---|
| Infant 0–6 mo | 0.2 (AI) |
| Infant 7–12 mo | 5.5 (AI) |
| 1–3 years | 11 |
| 4–8 years | 15 |
| 9–13 years | 25 (M) / 21 (F) |
| 14–18 years | 35 (M) / 24 (F) |
| 19–50 years | 35 (M) / 25 (F) |
| 51+ years | 30 (M) / 20 (F) |
| Pregnancy | 30 (19+; 29 at 14–18) |
| Lactation | 45 (19+; 44 at 14–18) |
| Upper limit | none has been set |
| Food | Portion | mcg | %DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 1/2 cup | 11 | 31% |
| Grape juice | 1 cup | 7.5 | 21% |
| Mashed potatoes | 1 cup | 2.6 | 7% |
| Green beans | 1/2 cup | 2.2 | 6% |
| Orange juice | 1 cup | 2.2 | 6% |
| Beef | 3 oz | ~2 | 6% |
| Turkey breast | 3 oz | 1.7 | 5% |
| English muffin, whole wheat | 1 | 1.7 | 5% |
| Red wine | 5 oz | 1–13 | varies with soil |
Chromium is the mineral where the requirement is smaller than the noise: the Adequate Intake is 25-45 micrograms a day depending on age and sex - millionths of a gram - and no deficiency picture exists in ordinary eaters, because the same foods provide it incidentally. Its biological job is narrow and specific: chromium is a cofactor that sharpens insulin's signaling, helping the hormone move glucose from blood into cells. That mechanism is real; everything marketed on top of it is where the honest file gets short.
The food table tells a soil-and-processing story as much as a nutrition one: broccoli is the standout at 11 mcg per half cup, grape juice carries 7.5 mcg a glass, and otherwise the values scatter across meats, juices and grain products at 1-3 mcg a serving. Red wine is the table's honest wild card - anywhere from 1 to 13 mcg per glass, because chromium content tracks the soil the grapes grew in and the steel the equipment was made of.
The supplement story needs its dates attached: chromium picolinate is the most-studied form and the one sold hardest for blood sugar and weight, but the evidence base for benefit in people with diabetes is weak, and in 2019 the FDA withdrew the qualified health claim that had allowed picolinate products to hint at type 2 diabetes risk reduction - the agency's judgment that the research no longer supported even a hedged promise. No UL has been set, but that is a statement about absence of data as much as absence of harm.
How to use
- Find your AI row: 35 mcg for men to age 50 and 30 after; 25 mcg for women to 50, 24 in the teens, 20 after 50; pregnancy 30 mcg (29 in the teens) and lactation 45 (44 in the teens); children scale from 11 mcg at ages 1-3 to 25/21 at 9-13; infancy runs on a 0.2-5.5 mcg AI.
- Use the food table as a one-decision tool: a half cup of broccoli (11 mcg, 31% DV) plus a glass of grape juice (7.5 mcg, 21%) nearly clears the adult AI before counting anything else - the rest of the diet's 1-3 mcg servings (turkey, beef, potatoes, green beans, orange juice) fill the balance incidentally.
- Read the bottle against the table: a 500 mcg picolinate capsule is roughly 1,400% of the AI and 10-30x what a food day delivers - legal, because no UL exists, but the label's percentage is a marker of dose inflation, not benefit; the FDA's 2019 withdrawal of the picolinate blood-sugar claim is the most decision-relevant line on the bottle.
Frequently asked questions
How much chromium do I need per day?
The AI is 35 mcg for men and 25 mcg for women from 19 to 50, stepping down to 30 and 20 after 50; teens need 35 (boys) and 24 (girls); pregnancy is 30 mcg and lactation 45 (44 and 29 in the teens). The Daily Value used on labels is 35 mcg. No upper limit has been set.
What foods are highest in chromium?
Broccoli leads at 11 mcg per half cup (31% DV), followed by grape juice at 7.5 mcg per cup (21%). The middle pack sits at 1-3 mcg a serving: mashed potatoes 2.6 mcg per cup, green beans and orange juice 2.2 mcg, beef about 2 mcg, turkey breast and English muffins 1.7 mcg. Red wine spans 1-13 mcg per 5 oz - the table's built-in lesson that chromium content varies with soil, water and processing equipment.
Does chromium help with diabetes or weight loss?
The mechanism (insulin signaling support) is real, but the clinical file is thin: trials of picolinate in type 2 diabetes show small or null effects, and in 2019 the FDA withdrew the qualified health claim that had permitted chromium picolinate supplements to suggest reduced type 2 diabetes risk, judging the evidence insufficient. Weight-loss claims fare worse. The AI is easy to reach from food, which makes the supplement question largely a marketing artifact.
Is chromium picolinate safe?
No UL has been set and ordinary supplement doses have a tolerable record, with rare case reports of kidney or liver irritation at high chronic doses. The safer framing: nobody has demonstrated a benefit that justifies dosing 10-30x the food-supplied amount, and 'no UL' means 'no data ceiling', not 'proven safe at any dose'.
Can you be deficient in chromium?
True deficiency is essentially a case-report event: it has appeared in long-term hospital tube feeding and total parenteral nutrition runs without added chromium, presenting as impaired glucose tolerance and nerve symptoms that reversed with supplementation. In ordinary diets - even poor ones - the AI is met incidentally, which is why there is no widespread-deficiency literature to consult.