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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Dietary Prevention of Obesity-related Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #222313

Title: Absence of Diabetes Indicators in a Selenium-Supplementation Trial

Author
item Combs, Gerald
item Watts, Jennifer
item JOHNSON, LUANN - UNIV OF NORTH DAKOTA
item Canfield, Wesley
item DAVIS, CINDY - NATL CANCER INSTITUTE
item MILNER, JOHN - NATL CANCER INSTITUTE

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/2008
Publication Date: 4/15/2008
Citation: Combs, G.F., Watts, J.J., Johnson, L.K., Canfield, W.K., Davis, C.D., Milner, J.A. 2008. Absence of Diabetes Indicators in a Selenium-Supplementation Trial. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 22:696.4.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We conducted a yr-long intervention with selenium (Se) to characterize dose-response relationships of biomarkers of Se status. Volunteers from Grand Forks, ND, were screened by interview, medical history and clinical biochemistry; individuals with liver or renal dysfunction, uncontrolled hypertension, unmanaged diabetes, or BMI>40 were ineligible. Of those eligible, 261 (106 men, 155 women) were randomized to Se supplements (0, 50, 100 or 200 ug Se [as L-selenomethionine]/day). Baseline plasma Se levels were relatively high (141.5±23.7 ng/ml), with >50% in the upper quintile of the NHANES III cohort, and 6% in the range achieved only by Se supplementation in the NPC trial. As secondary analyses of those studies have suggested associations of plasma Se level and diabetes risk, we evaluated that relationship in our cohort. At baseline, 15 subjects reported having diabetes and/or using diabetic medications; they showed higher (P<0.05) fasting glucose levels (120±25 mg/dl) than subjects without apparent diabetes (88±9 mg/dl), but similar plasma Se levels (132.4±18.3 ng/ml vs. 142.6±23.7 ng/ml) with cases similarly distributed over the tertiles of baseline plasma Se. Subjects without apparent diabetes showed similar fasting glucose levels across those tertiles (low: 86.4±9.0 mg/dl; mid: 87.5±8.3 mg/dl; high: 90.2±10.1 mg/ml). These results do not support a relationship of Se status and diabetes risk.