Urinary chromium excretion during pregnancy and its relationship with intravenous glucose loading.

This study was conducted to investigate the changes in urinary chromium excretion in the different stages of pregnancy and the effect of intravenous glucose tolerance test on urinary excretion of chromium in late pregnancy. Urine samples were collected from pregnant women cross-sectionally and longitudinally in different stages of pregnancy. Urinary chromium excretion before and after intravenous glucose tolerance test was also determined in nine women in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy. The results can be summarized as: 1) mean chromium/creatinine ratio in urine increased significantly with advancing pregnancy, 2) in late pregnancy, with the exception of one subject, urinary chromium/creatinine ratio showed a decrease after intravenous glucose tolerance test. The results obtained in this study have led us to conclude that the habitual dietary intake does not meet the increased chromium requirement and that prophylaxis may be of benefit and appears to be advisable in pregnancy.