Tag: Diabetes

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Selenium and Type 2 Diabetes

Selenium supplementation and the possible risk of developing type 2 diabetes, what do we know? This is a complex issue. Many different biological, hormonal, and environmental factors have an effect on the relationship.

Selenium and diabetes interrelationship
Observational evidence points to relevant sex differences in the selenium-diabetes interrelationship. There may be potential harmful effects in men living in selenium-rich areas and in men with high habitual selenium intake. Research shows potential benefits of selenium on diabetes risk in women selenium-deficient areas or in women with low selenium intake.

In a 2024 review, Demircan and a selenium research team headed by Prof Lutz Schomburg, Charité Berlin, investigated the current evidence for a relationship between selenium and type 2 diabetes. Recent evidence points to selenium intake and serum selenium status as relevant factors in the study of type 2 diabetes complications and prognosis.

Two studies based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States have identified selenium intake and serum selenium status, respectively, as associated with the improved survival of type 2 diabetes patients [Demircan 2024]. read more

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Selenium and Vitamin D for Thyroid Health

Supplementation with selenium and vitamin D can improve the prognosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Adding a daily dose of selenium and vitamin D to conventional diabetes medication can give significant health benefits [Yu 2024].

Selenium and Vitamin D for Type 2 Diabetes and Thyroid Disorder
A Chinese study suggests that combining conventional diabetes medicine with selenium and vitamin D supplements  reduces the levels of TSH and TPOAb and blood glucose and blood lipids in patients with concomitant type 2 diabetes and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Researchers at Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Hunan Province, China, recommend 100-200 mcg/day of selenium and 100 mcg/day of vitamin D for three to six months for patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and especially for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients with concomitant type 2 diabetes [Yu 2024].

A 2024 study by Feng et al has shown that adding 200 mcg of selenium daily and 100 mcg of vitamin D to standard anti-diabetic drugs significantly improved thyroid function, thyroid antibodies, blood glucose, and blood lipids in type 2 diabetes patients who were also diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. read more

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Correcting Selenium Deficiency in Thyroid Disorders

Selenium supplementation. There seem to be two different approaches. One approach regards selenium supplementation as a direct pharmaceutical treatment. For example, it is considered a form of medication administered to thyroid disorder patients. Alone or together with thyroid disorder medication, the selenium supplementation is intended to 1) alleviate symptoms, 2) slow the progression of the disorder, and 3) perhaps provide a cure [Schomburg 2019].

Selenium researcher Urban Alehagen
Data from the Swedish KiSel-10 study show that combined daily selenium and Coenzyme Q10 supplementation has a beneficial effect on thyroid hormones and quality of life. outcomes.

A second approach to selenium supplementation does not regard the administration of selenium as a pharmaceutical intervention. Rather, the second approach considers selenium supplementation to be a nutritional intervention designed to address and correct a deficiency condition. This approach recognizes that both sub-optimal selenium status and selenium deficiency limit the body’s expression of vital selenoproteins. These selenoproteins are needed to minimize health risks and to alleviate disease symptoms. Supplemental selenium can be necessary to enable the full endogenous expression of selenoproteins [Schomburg 2019]. read more

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Selenium Status and Mortality Risk

Mortality and morbidity. As we get older, we start to think about ways to reduce the risk of an early death. We want to reduce the risk of living out our lives in ill health.

Zion National Park in the USA
Pictured here: A creek in the Zion National Park in Utah.

We think about diet, exercise, 10,000 steps a day, hobbies, social contact. But, do we think about our selenium intake and status? Now, some large survey studies conducted in the US have shown that higher selenium status is significantly associated with lower mortality.

Each year, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States conducts surveys that focus on different population groups or health topics. This week, we present data from studies of selenium status and mortality.

Selenium Status and Type 2 Diabetes

Qiu et al examined the data from 3199 adults with type 2 diabetes. Their analysis showed that higher serum selenium concentrations are associated with lower all-cause mortality and lower heart disease mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes [Qiu 2022]. read more

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Selenium-Enriched Yeast Supplementation Studies

The rationale for taking a selenium-enriched yeast preparation: one or more of the selenium compounds in the preparation other than selenomethionine may be the selenium species that has specific effects against cancer. This is an area for further research.

Glass of beer made using brewer's yeast
Selenium-enriched yeast preparations use Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as as brewer’s yeast. The yeast is grown in a selenium-enriched medium in which the yeast absorbs the selenium. The finished preparation is pasteurized, causing the yeast cells to die. Selenium-enriched yeast preparations contain many organic selenium compounds in addition to selenomethionine.

This week, we focus on studies conducted with a selenium-enriched yeast preparation containing at least 20 different species of selenium in addition to selenomethionine [Bendahl & Gammelgaard 2004].

Randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials are the gold standard method for testing the safety, absorption, and efficacy of nutritional supplements and medical drugs. Below, we summarize some of the important clinical trials of nutritional interventions using selenium-enriched yeast. read more

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Selenium and Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes. Some news reports have suggested that high selenium intakes and status may be potential risk factors for the development of type 2 Diabetes mellitus. However, current data show that supplemental selenium does not cause diabetes [Schomburg 2020].

Diabetes symptoms
It seems likely that diabetes causes elevated blood selenium levels rather than the other way around [Schomburg 2020].
Two large randomized controlled trials using selenium supplements have shown no diabetes risk caused by 1) a selenomethionine product [Lippman 2009] and 2)   a selenium-enriched yeast product [Thompson 2016; Jacobs 2019]. In neither study was there any significant risk of diabetes  at the recommended dosage, not even among selenium-replete individuals of various ages and both genders [Schomburg 2020].

Moreover, in the Selenium Trial, the researchers saw no causal role for selenium in the development of insulin resistance or diabetes. Instead, they observed decreased fasting blood glucose levels in the selenium supplemented group compared to the control group [Jacobs 2019]. read more

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Selenium Status and the Risk of Gestational Diabetes

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].

Storks on a nest
Low maternal selenium status is strongly associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes and with an increased risk of large for gestational age offspring.

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]. read more

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Selenium Exposure Studies

Selenium exposure in the diet and in supplements: in this review article, we summarize the key outcomes of the best selenium exposure studies.

Optimal Selenium Intake and Status

In his review of the available research literature, Professor Urban Alehagen, Linköping University, Sweden, concluded that a daily intake of 100–150 mcg of selenium per day is required.

This is the intake level that enables an optimal expression of the important selenoprotein P that transports selenium from the liver to peripheral tissues [Alehagen 2022].  For other selenoproteins to be optimized, i.e., to be fully expressed, Prof. Alehagen argues that selenium status of approximately 120 mcg/L when measured in red blood cells is necessary [Alehagen 2022]. read more