Selenium supplements up risk of diabetes

July 12, 2007 in Diabetes & Diabetes Prevention, Nutrition Topics in the News, Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements

Selenium supplements up risk of diabetes
Selenium, a supplement that some people take in an effort to prevent the onset of diabetes, may actually increase the risk of the disease according to recent study findings.

Researchers from Warwick Medical School in Britain studied over 1200 people taking selenium, or a placebo for nearly 8 years. 

Half of the participants took 200 micrograms of selenium on a daily basis, while the other half received a placebo. 

None of the participants had diabetes at the beginning of the study.

After the study period of nearly 8 years researchers found that 58 of the 600 people receiving selenium developed diabetes, while only 39 of the 602 people receiving the placebo developed the disease.

This represents an increase in risk of nearly 50 percent.

Overall, researchers found that the higher a person's blood level of selenium was, the higher the risk of developing diabetes.

Most multivitamins contain up to 200 micrograms of selenium.

While further studies are needed to confirm the relationship between selenium intake and risk of diabetes, researchers suggest taking no more selenium than what is available in a standard multivitamin - less than 200 micrograms per day.

These latest findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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