title: Nail Selenium Level and Diabetes in Older People in Rural China.
abstract: This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between selenium levels and diabetes in an older population with life-long natural exposure to selenium in rural China. A total of 1856 subjects aged 65 years or older from four Chinese rural counties with different environmental selenium levels were evaluated. Analysis of covariance models and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between nail selenium levels and serum glucose, serum insulin, insulin resistance [using the Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)], and the risk of diabetes. The mean nail selenium level was 0.461 μg/g and the prevalence rate of diabetes was 8.3% in this population. The mean nail selenium level was significantly higher in the group with diabetes than in the group without diabetes (P<0.0001). The adjusted odds ratios for diabetes were 2.65 (95% CI: 1.48 to 4.73), 2.47 (95% CI: 1.37 to 4.45), and 3.30 (95% CI: 1.85 to 5.88) from the second selenium quartile to the fourth quartile, respectively, compared with the first quartile group. The mean serum glucose and HOMA-IR in the higher selenium quartile groups were significantly higher than those of the lowest quartile group. However, no significant differences in insulin were observed among the four quartile groups. A long-term, higher level of exposure to selenium may be associated with a higher risk of diabetes. Future studies are needed to elucidate the association between selenium and insulin resistance.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Li Qin
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Yin Long
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Frederick W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Unverzagt
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Yi Bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hake
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202-2872, USA.
authors.forename: Liao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ran
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Jing Yi
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Shandong Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Endemic Disease in China, Jinan 250014, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jian Chao
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.affiliation: Sichuan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Xian Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202-2872, USA.
authors.forename: Sujuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009262:Nails / Q000378:metabolism*; D012424:Rural Population; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012643:Selenium