Mineral Important for Blood Sugar Control

By CP Staff

According to a recently published study, serum levels of a particular trace mineral are associated with fasting glucose levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that 1.6 million cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year in the United States and the prevalence of diabetes is increasing. Based on the current trend, the CDC estimates that 1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes during their lifetime. Furthermore, according to the CDC, the risk of death in individuals with diabetes is about double that of individuals without diabetes of similar age; in addition, those who develop diabetes will lose approximately 10 to 15 years of life.

This new study evaluated the relationship between blood levels of the trace mineral selenium and dysglycemia, including impaired fasting blood glucose or type 2 diabetes. The subjects included 1,162 individuals between 59 and 71 years of age enrolled in the Epidemiology of Vascular Ageing Study. Serum selenium levels were measured at the beginning of the study and the subjects were followed for 9 years to evaluate the development of dysglycemia. Fasting plasma glucose was measured at the beginning of the study and after 2, 4 and 9 years.

The results indicated that 127 subjects developed dysglycemia. The male subjects with the highest levels of serum selenium had a 50 percent lower risk of developing dysglycemia compared to the men with the lowest levels of selenium. There was no association found between selenium levels and dysglycemia in women.

Reference:

Akbaraly TN, Arnaud J, Rayman MP, Hininger-Favier I, Roussel AM, Berr C, Fontbonne A. Plasma selenium and risk of dysglycemia in an elderly French population: Results from the prospective Epidemiology of Vascular Ageing Study. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2010 Mar 18;7(1):21.