Category: Diabetes

Selenium is an essential trace element, essential in the sense that our bodies cannot synthesize it, and we must get what we need of it in our diets.

Suboptimal intakes of selenium, i.e., intakes below the recommended intake levels, are associated with increased disease risks, in particular increased risk of autoimmune diseases, chronic diseases, inflammation, etc.

Unfortunately, the health risks of selenium deficiency are often neglected. Here are some facts:

• Preventable endemic diseases are known in regions with selenium deficiency, e.g., in certain parts of China.
• Sufficiently high selenium status is a prerequisite for adequate immune system response.
• Individuals living in regions with selenium-poor soil, women who are  pregnant, individuals with autoimmune thyroid disease, and individuals with a severe illness, e.g. COVID-19, are known to have sub-optimal selenium intakes and status.
• Improved dietary choices and/or selenium supplementation are efficient ways to avoid severe selenium deficiency.

These are the major points in a recent journal article published by Professor Lutz Schomburg, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin.

Selenium and Selenoproteins

The micronutrient selenium is a component of the amino acid selenocysteine, which is itself an essential part of some 25 selenoproteins identified in human biology. Some selenoproteins are known to be essential for life; accordingly, they are preferentially synthesized and distributed. The brain, for example, has high priority for selenium in times of scarcity. read more

The long-time selenium researcher Professor Dr. Lutz Schomburg has reviewed the nutritional and preventive medicine aspects of selenium supplementation. In his mind, a selenium deficiency in and of itself constitutes a health risk that should be corrected by dietary measures or by supplemental selenium intake [Schomburg 2020].

He interprets the available evidence for positive health effects of selenium supplement as the outcome of correcting a deficiency or insufficiency of selenium.

His review of the research literature indicates that selenium supplement does not cause diabetes. Instead, the current evidence suggests that the development of type 2 diabetes with low insulin levels and high glucose levels may be causing increases in selenium levels; hence, the perceived association between the incidence of diabetes and the higher selenium status [Schomburg 2020]. read more

The effect of selenium supplementation on blood sugar levels and on the risk of diabetes is still an open question. However, the data from randomized controlled studies show that selenium supplementation is associated with either a beneficial effect or no effect at all on blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity, and glucose tolerance [Jablonska 2016].

Study Participants with Type-2 Diabetes

Beneficial effect. In a 2019 study, the participants were 72 male and 22 female patients aged 48 to 64 years old with diabetes mellitus type 2. They were smokers, all of them, and they all followed a Mediterranean diet.

The researchers administered selenium 200 microg/day once daily on an empty stomach. The study data showed a statistically significant reduction in the blood levels of glucose and in HbA1c values at both three months and six months after the beginning of the treatment. The administration of selenium to type-2 diabetic patients seemed to improve the patients’ glycemic profile [Karalis 2019]. read more

Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson, home of the Arizona Cancer Center, identified a statistically significant direct relationship between selenium and Type-2 diabetes in observational studies but no statistically significant relationship in randomized controlled trials [Kohler 2018].

Note: Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard for scientific evidence in the bio-medical field. The randomization of the study participants should produce comparable groups and should eliminate accidental bias.  In observational studies, the researchers do not randomly assign the study participants to groups and do not decide which treatments each group receives or does not receive. read more

Researchers at the University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson have reported interesting findings with respect to selenium supplementation [Jacobs 2019]:

• Supplementation with 200 micrograms/day of a selenized yeast preparation for 2.9 years had no effect on insulin sensitivity or beta-cell function as compared with the placebo group.
• Further stratification of the data by sex and age showed no effect modification in response to the selenium supplementation.

The Take-Home Message from this Selenium Research

• The Arizona Cancer Center research does not support the idea of a major role for selenium in insulin sensitivity or beta-cell function.
• The University of Arizona researchers write that their results provide key information for clinicians to convey to patients in the USA about the use of selenized yeast dietary supplements.

The Selenium Supplementation Research Design

The researchers analyzed the data from a subset of 400 individuals who were participating in the Selenium Trial, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the effect of selenium supplementation at 200 micrograms per day on colorectal adenomatous polyps [Jacobs 2019].

The data included the fasting plasma glucose and insulin measured both before randomization and within 6 months of completing the intervention.

The researchers compared changes in the homeostasis model assessment-beta cell function (HOMA2-%beta) and insulin sensitivity (HOMA2-%S) between the active selenium treatment group and the placebo control group. read more