Age-related decreases in chromium levels in 51,665 hair, sweat, and serum samples from 40,872 patients--implications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes mellitus.

This report shows, for the first time using modern analytical techniques, highly significant age-related decreases in chromium levels in 51,665 hair, sweat, and serum samples obtained from 40,872 patients referred by their physicians to an independent medical research clinic and laboratory (r = -.598 to -.762, P < .0001 for all correlations). Males were found to have significantly lower mean chromium levels than females (P < .05 to .0001). There was good correlation between chromium levels in hair, sweat, and serum (r = .536 to .729, P < .0001 for all correlations), indicating that hair and sweat chromium levels are valid additions to the serum levels in assessing chromium status. Chromium measurements in sweat, hair, and serum were performed using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The influences that age-related decreases in chromium levels might have on increasing the risk to develop age-related impaired glucose metabolism, disordered lipid metabolism, coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and type II diabetes mellitus are outlined, and the role that refined carbohydrates play in the development of compromised chromium status is presented.