Improvement of Impaired Carbohydrate Metabolism by Chromium(III) in Malnourished Infants

Abstract

Twelve malnourished infants with impaired glucose tolerances, six from Jordan and six from Nigeria, were treated with 250 µg of Cr(III) as CrCl₃-6H₂O. Within 18 hr after the Cr(III) administration, the glucose removal rates of the Jordanian infants improved significantly from an average of 0.6 to 2.9%/min and those of the Nigerian infants improved significantly from an average of 1.2 to 2.9%/min. When a group of five infants with impaired glucose tolerances from both areas was given an initial and a second tolerance test, but without Cr(III) treatment between the tests, the glucose removal rates did not improve significantly. In Jordan a clear-cut correlation between the geographical residence of the family and an impaired glucose tolerance in the infant was observed. All 10 refugee infants from the Jordanian hill area had impaired glucose removal rates, with an average of 0.7%/min, as compared to refugee infants from the Jordan Valley who were all normal, averaging 3.8%/min. The food supply for both groups was from a common source (United Nations). These normal glucose tolerances appeared to be related to the threefold higher chromium content of the family drinking water in the Jordan Valley area.