Selenium May Protect Against Diabetes

Selenium is an essential trace element which is necessary for growth and protein synthesis, and previous studies have suggested a preventative role of selenium on the risk of diabetes.  Tasnime Akbaraly, from the University of Montpellier (France), and colleagues studied 1,162 French adults enrolled in the Epidemiology of Vascular Ageing study, assessing selenium levels and monitoring for blood-sugar imbalances (dysglycemia), for nine years.  The team found that the risk of dysglycemia was significantly lower in men with plasma selenium in the top one-third highest level, as compared to those in the lowest third.     No significant relationship was observed in women. The researchers conclude that: “This prospective study suggests a sex-specific protective effect of higher selenium status at baseline on later occurrence of dysglycemia.”