Lower selenium status during pregnancy means there is a greater risk of developing gestational diabetes [Hamdan 2022; Xu 2022]. Three different selenium biomarkers in early and late pregnancy show a quite strong association of selenium with 1) the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus and 2) the birth of large for gestational age offspring [Demircan 2022].
The Mayo Clinic defines gestational diabetes as being diagnosed with diabetes for the first time during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is like other forms of diabetes in that it affects how well the cells use glucose. It causes high blood sugar levels that can affect the mother’s health and the baby’s health [Mayo Clinic 2023].
Among the possible complications associated with gestational diabetes are:
- Excessive birth size and weight causing problems for giving birth
- Early (preterm) birth made necessary by the high blood sugar levels and/or because the baby is so large
- Serious breathing difficulties for the newborn baby caused by a respiratory distress syndrome
- Low blood sugar levels in the baby shortly after birth making prompt feedings and possibly even intravenous glucose solution necessary
- Greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes for the child later in life
- Greater risk of stillbirth
Selenium and Gestational Diabetes: Odense Child Cohort Study
In a study of 1346 pregnant women with 2294 serum samples from the Odense Child Cohort study in Denmark, researchers evaluated the serum selenium level, the selenoprotein P level, and the glutathione peroxidase 3 activity in early and late pregnancy. They also measured and evaluated the pregnant women’s fasting blood glucose and insulin in late pregnancy [Demircan 2022]. What did they find?
- Serum selenium and selenoprotein P concentrations declined from the first to the third trimester.
- The decline in the selenium biomarkers from the first to the third trimester was associated with higher insulin resistance and with more cases of gestational diabetes.
- There was a dose-dependent inverse relationship between early glutathione peroxidase activity during pregnancy, on the one hand, and insulin resistance and fasting blood sugar and fasting blood insulin levels, on the other hand.
- Third trimester selenoprotein P levels and glutathione peroxidase 3 activity were inversely associated with gestational diabetes and insulin resistance.
- Low glutathione peroxidase 3 activity was associated with higher risk of large for gestational age offspring.
Selenium and Gestational Diabetes: Two Meta-analyses
A 2022 meta-analysis of the data from 27 studies involving 1588 patients with gestational diabetes and 2450 healthy pregnant women showed that selenium levels were significantly lower in women with gestational diabetes than in pregnant women without gestational diabetes. Sub-group analyses showed the correlation in the second and third trimesters [Xu 2022].
A second 2022 meta-analysis of the data from 12 studies (including 940 pregnant women with gestational diabetes and 1749 pregnant controls) found evidence [Hamdan 2022]:
- that selenium levels were significantly lower in women with gestational diabetes compared with the control group
- that the selenium levels were lower in the third trimester in the gestational diabetes cases than in the normal controls
At this point, we need further studies to confirm the inverse correlation between blood selenium levels – both serum selenium levels and serum selenoprotein P levels – and the risk of gestational diabetes
The Odense Study is one such study. Note that both meta-analyses were done before the completion of the Odense Study.
Conclusion: Low Selenium Levels Increase Gestational Diabetes Risk
The study done in Odense, Denmark, shows that three biomarkers of low selenium status are associated with a greater risk of gestational diabetes.
Supplementing an appropriate amount of selenium may be helpful for the prevention and treatment of gestational diabetes.
Sources
Demircan K, Schomburg L, Skovsager Andersen M et al. Association of three selenium biomarkers in early and late pregnancy with gestational diabetes mellitus and large for gestational age offspring: Odense Child Cohort. Lancet Preprint. 2022;
Hamdan HZ, Hamdan SZ, Adam I. Association of Selenium Levels with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2022 Sep 23;14(19):3941.
Mayo Clinic. Gestational Diabetes. 2023. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gestational-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20355339.
Xu W, Tang Y, Ji Y, Yu H, Li Y, Piao C, Xie L. The association between serum selenium level and gestational diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2022 May;38(4):e3522.
The information presented in this review article is not intended as medical advice and should not be used as such.
28 February 2023