BMJ  2007;335:473 (8 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.335.7618.473-b

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Selenium supplements may increase risk of type 2 diabetes

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Experiments on animals suggested that selenium might protect against type 2 diabetes, but a randomised trial now suggests that, rather than being protective, selenium may increase the risk of diabetes. A secondary analysis of a parent trial where diabetes was a secondary outcome comprised 1202 people without diabetes at baseline, who were randomised to 200 µg of selenium daily, or placeboGo.

After an average follow-up of 7.7 years, 58 people taking selenium had type 2 diabetes, compared with 39 people in the placebo group, giving a hazard ratio of 1.55 (95% CI 1.03 to 2.33). Furthermore, higher plasma concentrations of selenium at baseline were associated with an increased risk for developing diabetes. People whose plasma concentration of selenium was in the highest third had a 2.7-fold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes during follow-up compared with those in the lowest third.

Before selenium was found to be essential . . . [Full text of this article]


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