title: Selenium supranutrition: are the potential benefits of chemoprevention outweighed by the promotion of diabetes and insulin resistance?
abstract: Selenium was considered a toxin until 1957, when this mineral was shown to be essential in the prevention of necrotic liver damage in rats. The hypothesis of selenium chemoprevention is principally formulated by the observations that cancer incidence is inversely associated with selenium status. However, recent clinical and epidemiological studies demonstrate a role for some selenoproteins in exacerbating or promoting other disease states, specifically type 2 diabetes, although other data support a role of selenium in stimulating insulin sensitivity. Therefore, it is clear that our understanding in the role of selenium in glucose metabolism and chemoprevention is inadequate and incomplete. Research exploring the role of selenium in individual healthcare is of upmost importance and possibly will help explain how selenium is a double-edged sword in the pathologies of chronic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Caroline R B
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Rocourt
authors.forename: Wen-Hsing
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009752:Nutritional Status; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012643:Selenium / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D012643:Selenium