Abstract
Background and Aim: Previous studies have suggested that the specific association between selenium (Se) and diabetes remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary Se and type-2 diabetes (T2D) in the Brazilian cohort [Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME)].Methods and Results: This cross-sectional study was conducted with a large sample comprising 4,106 participants of the CUME project, a concurrent open cohort restricted to a highly educated population group, composed of graduates of federal institutions of higher education located in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data on socioeconomic and dietary characteristics, as well as anthropometric measures, were collected from each subject for analysis. The sample was classified into energy-adjusted tertiles of dietary Se intake (μg/day). Differences in the continuous data were evaluated by the Kruskal–Wallis H-test (abnormal data), and the χ2-test assessed differences in qualitative data. As there was no relationship between T2D and Se intake in the bivariate analysis, multivariate analysis was not performed. The prevalence of T2D in the studied population was 2.8%. The mean age was 36 years. Regarding gender, 1,209 are males and 2,807 are females. Among females, the mean Se intake was 165.12 μg/day and the mean intake was 157.4 μg/day. Among males, it was 168.4 μg/day. Significant differences were observed across all Se intake tertiles in terms of age, gender, activity level, alcohol intake, energy intake, sugar, carbohydrates, lipids, fiber, and energy-adjusted meat intake. However, no significant differences were observed across all Se intake tertiles in terms of BMI, smoking status, and T2D. The results indicated that there was no significant association between dietary Se intake and the prevalence of T2D.Conclusion: Dietary Se intake was not associated with the prevalence of T2D, despite the high intake of this micronutrient in the sample. These results contradict studies that identified the association between Se intake and T2D, with values of Se intake much lower than those observed in this study. Thus, this relationship seems to remain controversial.
Highlights
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results from an insulinproduction deficiency or its action, having hyperglycemia as one of its main signs [1]
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in 2019, about 463 million adults aged between 20 and 79 years were diagnosed with this disease in the world, of which 15.5 million cases occurred in Brazil, which is the 5th country in the world regarding the number of diabetes cases in this age group [2]
In other states (Acre and Mato Grosso), it does not even offer 10% of the selenium value recommended for consumption. These results demonstrate that it is difficult to define a single number of Brazil nuts to be consumed daily to achieve daily selenium consumption recommendations
Summary
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results from an insulinproduction deficiency or its action, having hyperglycemia as one of its main signs [1]. Hyperglycemia, a characteristic of diabetes, is associated with acute and chronic complications of this disease, negatively affects the quality of life, and has a higher mortality rate in people with diabetes [1]. Antioxidant nutrients play an important role in the defense of our body by reducing the oxidative stress and preventing the emergence of chronic diseases, mainly by neutralizing free radicals and their metabolic effects. Previous studies have suggested that the specific association between selenium (Se) and diabetes remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary Se and type-2 diabetes (T2D) in the Brazilian cohort [Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME)]
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