Selenium Supplementation Increases Insulin Sensitivity -- New (2016) Study Reveals

[milk_lover]

I remember seeing from the forum that Ray Peat thinks the amount of selenium in commercial farmed seafood is low and it would be wise to supplement it in the diet. In one of his articles, he mentioned selenium along with other nutrients (K2, thiamine, niacinamide etc.,) to be good for mitochondrial respiration. He also said the liver needs glucose and selenium to convert T4 to T3. So I think he thinks highly of selenium that's why he recommends seafood at least once weekly. The study below (from an Iranian university) was done on humans with Type 2 diabetes and CHD (aged 40-85 years) and it found 200 micrograms of selenium a day for eight weeks resulted in:

• a significant decrease in serum insulin levels, insulin resistance, CRP, and beta cell function
• a significant increase in insulin sensitivity and plasma total antioxidant capacity concentrations

I don't know if it's good to have reduced beta cell function. If someone can clarify, that would be useful to know. Maybe that's why selenium was linked with diabetes in past studies?

The Abstract (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26743526):

"To our knowledge, this study is the first indicating the effects of selenium supplementation on metabolic status of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary heart disease (CHD). This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of selenium supplementation on metabolic profiles, biomarkers of inflammation, and oxidative stress of patients with T2DM and CHD. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed among 60 patients with T2DM and CHD aged 40-85 years. Participants were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group A received 200 μgselenium supplements (n=30) and group B received placebo per day (n=30) for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken at the beginning of the study and after 8-week intervention to quantify metabolic profiles. After 8 weeks, compared with the placebo, selenium supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in serum insulin levels (- 2.2±4.6 vs. + 3.6±8.4 μIU/ml, p=0.001), homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (- 0.7±1.3 vs. + 0.9±2.4, p=0.004), homeostatic model assessment-beta cell function (HOMA-B) (- 7.5±17.2 vs. + 15.1±34.5, p=0.002) and a significant increase in quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) (+0.01±0.03 vs. - 0.01±0.03, p=0.02). In addition, patients who received selenium supplements had a significant reduction in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (- 1 372.3±2 318.8 vs. - 99.8±1 453.6 ng/ml, p=0.01) and a significant rise in plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) concentrations (+ 301.3±400.6 vs. - 127.2±428.0 mmol/l, p<0.001) compared with the placebo. A 200 μg/day selenium supplementation among patients with T2DM and CHD resulted in a significant decrease in insulin, HOMA-IR, HOMA-B, serum hs-CRP, and a significant increase in QUICKI score and TAC concentrations."

Personally, I am having great results with selenium. My body temperatures increases, so I think it has an effect on thyroid function.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

Thanks for this. Good motivation to try and stick to wild-caught seafood. Unfortunately the baked oysters I buy appear to be farmed. I wonder if this would also reduce their zinc content.

Beef and crimini mushrooms appear to also be decent sources of selenium.

 

[hmac]

Thanks for posting this.

I'm from the UK and the soil here is hopelessly deficient in selenium which means that dairy and veg isn't a good source of it. Wild caught fish isn't something I can afford to eat regularly and so I have often wondered whether selenium might be something worth supplementing. I've just got this vague feeling that Peat has cautioned against it - anyone know anything about this?

 

[bobbybobbob]

Good motivation to try and stick to wild-caught seafood. Unfortunately the baked oysters I buy appear to be farmed. I wonder if this would also reduce their zinc content.

I don't think "farmed" is a meaningful distinction when it comes to filter feeders like oysters and scallops. It just means they're harvested from privately owned and maintained structures in the water, instead of natural rock formations. The "farmers" don't shovel soy feed at them or anything like that. The end product is indistinguishable from wild.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

I don't think "farmed" is a meaningful distinction when it comes to filter feeders like oysters and scallops. It just means they're harvested from privately owned and maintained structures in the water, instead of natural rock formations. The "farmers" don't shovel soy feed at them or anything like that. The end product is indistinguishable from wild.

Very interesting. Thank you. I've always wondered about that. Is it that these animals won't consume feed if it was given to them?

 

[bistecca]

if the beta cells produce insulin and selenium increases insulin sensitivity, it is reasonable to think that beta cells would produce less insulin.

 

[tara]

Thanks for this. Good motivation to try and stick to wild-caught seafood. Unfortunately the baked oysters I buy appear to be farmed. I wonder if this would also reduce their zinc content.

Depends on where they are farmed? There are oysters farmed in the sea in some places, and they should get regular sea nutrients.

Beef and crimini mushrooms appear to also be decent sources of selenium.

Depends on the soils, I think. Soils where I am are known to be low in selenium (and iodine).

 

[Daimyo]

I'm from the UK and the soil here is hopelessly deficient in selenium which means that dairy and veg isn't a good source of it. Wild caught fish isn't something I can afford to eat regularly and so I have often wondered whether selenium might be something worth supplementing. I've just got this vague feeling that Peat has cautioned against it - anyone know anything about this?

Hi hmac,

UK cows and animals get Se supplements, so if you eat a lot you will be covered. Also chickens' feed is supplemented so mushrooms (they are grown on chicken manure) should give you decent levels of this element.

 

[DaveFoster]

"The growth hormone response to estrogen is probably the result of the changed use of glucose under estrogen's influence, making it necessary to mobilize free fatty acids from tissues."

Selenium inhibits aromatase.

Aromotase promotes estrogen.

Estrogen interferes with glucose metabolism.

Selenium promotes proper glucose metabolism and thus insulin sensitivity.

 

[milk_lover]

if the beta cells produce insulin and selenium increases insulin sensitivity, it is reasonable to think that beta cells would produce less insulin.

Woa! That makes perfect sense. Thanks for pointing that out to me :)

"The growth hormone response to estrogen is probably the result of the changed use of glucose under estrogen's influence, making it necessary to mobilize free fatty acids from tissues."

Selenium inhibits aromatase.

Aromotase promotes estrogen.

Estrogen interferes with glucose metabolism.

Selenium promotes proper glucose metabolism and thus insulin sensitivity.

Yeah selenium is effective against estrogen excess and insulin resistance. But can it be supplemented daily with no side effects? I am leaning toward once a week similar to vitamin E would be a good maintenance dose even if you eat seafood because you can't guarantee farm seafood can provide enough of selenium . BTW some vitamin brands have both selenium and vitamin E together in one supplement as they are both good antioxidants.

 

[zooma]

Has anyone got experience with supplementing selenium?

 

[Giraffe]

Has anyone got experience with supplementing selenium?

I tried it for a maybe a week (200 mcg). I did not notice any difference so I stopped it. I probably get sufficient selenium from my diet.

 

[DaveFoster]

Has anyone got experience with supplementing selenium?

It's a great supplement if you can't afford seafood.

 

[zooma]

I think I will try it at some point. Where I am it is difficult to get quality shellfish, and even then it is very expensive.

I don't think there is any specific reason to be cautious of it, but I just wondered if anyone had seen benefit from it.

 

[hmac]

Hi hmac,

UK cows and animals get Se supplements, so if you eat a lot you will be covered. Also chickens' feed is supplemented so mushrooms (they are grown on chicken manure) should give you decent levels of this element.

Very helpful, thanks!

 

[milk_lover]

Has anyone got experience with supplementing selenium?

I took selenium yeast and I got allergy from it, then I switched to selenomethionine and I got positive results the first few days and then I think my body reached plateau, so now I just supplement it whenever I feel like it. It's good to take it if you have issues with seafood, like histamine problems.

 

[charmer]

I took a selenium LE supercomplex for a few months, I never ate seafood as it wasn't possible to find it in my area. I used to have a skin rush that would never disappear - small extensive and colorless. The problem went away after supplementation, skin got very soft and even. I don't think I experienced side effects.

 

[DrBartemus]

if the beta cells produce insulin and selenium increases insulin sensitivity, it is reasonable to think that beta cells would produce less insulin.

Also remember that the study was looking at T2DM patients. These patients have high HOMA-IR scores, which are a result of poor insulin sensitivity. Due to IR, the beta cells will (at least early on in the disease process) be working harder/producing more insulin to, in essence, yell louder at the cells to open their doors to glucose. Naturally, the HOMA-B score will be higher. So, although we may not necessarily desire to lower beta cell function in the healthy population, in this population of T2DM, it is desirable assuming that we are also decreasing HOMA-IR, hsCRP, and increasing insulin sensitivity.

 

[bistecca]

Also remember that the study was looking at T2DM patients. These patients have high HOMA-IR scores, which are a result of poor insulin sensitivity. Due to IR, the beta cells will (at least early on in the disease process) be working harder/producing more insulin to, in essence, yell louder at the cells to open their doors to glucose. Naturally, the HOMA-B score will be higher. So, although we may not necessarily desire to lower beta cell function in the healthy population, in this population of T2DM, it is desirable assuming that we are also decreasing HOMA-IR, hsCRP, and increasing insulin sensitivity.

Thank you, that's a much more comprehensive way to put it.

 

[paymanz]

Has peat ever mentioned how much selenium we need a day?!