SUPPLEMENTING DIABETES? New research shows that the common nutritional supplement might be linked to diabetes.
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Americans with diabetes have high levels of selenium in their bodies, prompting some health experts to suspect that it could contribute to development of the disease. In response to their new findings, a research team has recommended that U.S. residents stop taking supplements that contain selenium.
Most Americans ingest large amounts of the mineral—substantially more than people elsewhere—because soil in much of the country contains high levels that are absorbed by crops. Selenium occurs naturally in soil and leaches onto farm fields from irrigation and streams.
The research team, led by Johns Hopkins University epidemiologists, examined the diabetes rate and selenium levels of 917 people over the age of 40 who participated in a national health study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2003 and 2004. They found that most had a lot of selenium in their blood, but those with diabetes had substantially more.
The benefits and dangers of selenium have been debated in recent years because some studies show it might help protect people from cancer and heart disease. Selenium is an essential element and antioxidant, but medical experts say there is a fine line between the amount that the body needs and the amount that is harmful.
“Given the current diabetes epidemic, the high selenium intake from naturally occurring selenium in U.S. soil and the popularity of multivitamin/mineral supplements containing selenium in the U.S., these findings call for a thorough evaluation of the risk and benefits associated with high selenium status in the U.S.,” the researchers wrote in a study published online in Environmental Health Perspectives on May 15.
“Furthermore,” they wrote, “our findings suggest that selenium supplements should not be used in the U.S. until there is a better understanding of their potential risks and benefits.”
Supplements containing selenium have gained popularity in the United States because of anti-cancer claims, and selenium levels in people have been rising. Nearly one-quarter of Americans over the age of 40 take selenium supplements or multivitamin supplements that include selenium.
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13 Comments
Add CommentWhat type of diabetes? Juvenile? Adult onset? Both?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat type(s) of diabetes? Juvenile? Adult onset? Both?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, please specify the type when discussing diabetes. The difference between type I and type II is significant.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSelenium is depleted in soils in quite a few states, especially western states bordering Canada. The thyroid requires selenium to allow iodine to function properly. Selenium has been shown toprevent prostate health problems as well.Several types of cheap supplement ingredients do not absorb well so we have a few unanswered questions.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPerhaps people with diabets need to be properly evaluated for thyroid function and this is not just a TSH test that is passed off as the only way to test for thyroid health. And perhaps junk vitamins like Centrum and WalMart could be by passed in favor of those that contain the proper form of selenium.
Selenium levels are not always high as in states borderinh Canada in the west. The thyroid requires selenium to make iodine work. Cheap vitamins use the wrong form of selenium and it doesn't absorb.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisit says in the article "all types of diabetes". For those of you with that question please read more carefully
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs there really a significant difference between 144 ppb and 136ppb? Looks like GIGO to me. The important issues are weight, exercise and diet. Diversion from the main issues we should be focusing on. Allen Peters, M.D.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe study raises interesting questions. For one that this statistical anolomy pertains "all types of diabetes". It is possible that the diabetic condition elevates selenium blood levels.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYaw
There is something wrong in this statement:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"In the selenium study, diabetics (of all types*) had an average of nearly 144 parts per billion of selenium in their blood, compared with about 136 ppb for the non-diabetics. The highest risk of the disease was found for those with levels between 130 and 150 ppb."
The highest risk covers both populations? There has got to be a typo in those numbers somewhere.
The editor added this comment to answer our question. That's why the * was placed there. :)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a diabetic, it makes me want to look into changing my diet more, even though I think I eat pretty well and exercise a fair amount.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisResearch anyone?
Such a finding (as with low Vit. D or any other substance in the body) proves nothing more than the people tested and with diabetes have a higher levels of selenium. This does not mean that these people take too much selenium or for that matter that selenium causes diabetes. Many times we know that disease processes create imbalances of vitamins and minerals or other substances that are secondary to the disease process and these substances really have nothing do with the cause.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlthough I agree that taking too many supplements, at too high of dose, can cause problems. In my opinion, there is a long way to go before such a finding in regard to selenium causing diabetes, is actually a fact. I do not know how many epidemiological studies contain these basic errors in thinking. Consider the China study&
And then we have this:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBioMed Central (2010, March 18). Selenium protects men against diabetes, study suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 13, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/03/100317212646.htm