Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Plasma selenium decrease during pregnancy is associated with glucose intolerance

  • Accelerated Article
  • Published:
Biological Trace Element Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There is an increased requirement for selenium during pregnancy, presumably for fetal growth, which manifests as decreasing maternal blood and tissue selenium concentrations. These decreases are greater in pregnant women with gestational or preexisting diabetes. We measured selenium status and glucose tolerance between wk 12 and 34 of gestation in 22 pregnant women. We found that the increase in blood glucose in response to an oral glucose challenge at 12 wk gestation and the increase in fasting glucose during pregnancy were inversely correlated with plasma selenium concentration. Women with lower plasma glutathione peroxidase activities during pregnancy also tended to have higher fasting glucose levels. These inverse relationships between selenium status and glucose tolerance are consistent with earlier observations that suggest a link between selenium and glucose metabolism. The observation that changes in serum glucose were not accompanied by changes in insulin suggests that selenium may affect glucose metabolism downstream from insulin, or through independent energy regulatory pathways such as thyroid hormone.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. N. D. McGlashan, S. J. Cook, W. Melrose, P. L. Martin, E. Chelkowska, and R. J. von Witt, Maternal selenium levels and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), Aust. N. Z. J. Med. 26, 677–682 (1996).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. J. A. Butler, P. D. Whanger, and M. J. Tripp, Blood selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity in pregnant women comparative assays in primates and other animals, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 36, 15–23 (1982).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. L. J. Hinks, S. A. Ogilvy, K. M. Hambidge, and V. Walker, Maternal zinc and selenium status in pregnancies with a neural tube defect or elevated plasma alpha fetoprotein, Br. J. Obstet. Gynaecol. 96, 61–66 (1989).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. B. A. Zachara, C. Wardak, W. Didkowski, A. Maciag, and E. Marchaluk, Changes in blood selenium and glutathione concentrations and glutathione peroxidase activity in human pregnancy, Gynecol. Obstet., Invest. 35, 12–17 (1993).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. E. Ferrer, A. Alegria, R. Barbera, R. Farre, M. J. Lagarda, and J. Monleon, Whole blood selenium content in pregnant women, Sci. Total Environ. 227, 139–143 (1999).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. M. Navarro, H. Lopez, V. Perez, and M. C. Lopez, Serum selenium levels during normal pregnancy in healthy Spanish women, Sci. Total Environ. 186, 237–242 (1996).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. W. Wasowicz, P. Wolkanin M. Bednarski, J. Gromadzinska, M. Sklodowska, and K. Grzybowska, Plasma trace element (Se, Zn, Cu) concentrations in maternal and umbilical cord blood in Poland—relation with birth weight, gestational age, and parity, Biol. Trace Elem. Res. 38, 205–215 (1993).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. J. Gromadzinska, W. Wasowicz, G. Krasomski, et al., Selenium levels, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance concentrations and glutathione peroxidase activity in the blood of women with gestosis and imminent premature labour, Analyst 123, 35–40 (1998).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. J. A. Butler and P. D. Whanger, Metabolism of selenium by pregnant women, J. Trace Elem. Exp. Med. 5, 175–188 (1992).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. W. C. Hawkes, F. Z. Alkan, and L. Oehler, Absorption, distribution and excretion of selenium from beef and rice in healthy North American men, J. Nutr. 133, 3434–3442 (2003).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. H. Guvenc, F. Karatas, M. Guvenc, S. Kunc, A. D. Aygun, and S. Bektas, Low levels of selenium in mothers and their newborns in pregnancies with a neural tube defect, Pediatrics 95, 879–882 (1995).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. R. Karunanithy, A. C. Roy, and S. S. Ratnam, Selenium status in pregnancy studies in amniotic fluid from normal pregnant women, Gynecol. Obstet. Invest. 27, 148–150 (1989).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. C. A. Swanson, D. C. Reamer, C. Veillon, J. C. King, and O. A. Levander, Quantitative and qualitative aspects of selenium utilization in pregnant and nonpregnant women: an application of stable isotope methodology, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 38, 169–180 (1983).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. M. P. Rayman, P. Bode, and C. W. Redman, Low selenium status is associated with the occurrence of the pregnancy disease preeclampsia in women from the United Kingdom, Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 189, 1343–1349 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. D. Bonnefont-Rousselot, Glucose and reactive oxygen species, Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care 5, 561–568 (2002).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. R. K. Sundaram, A. Bhaskar, S. Vijayalingam, M. Viswanathan, R. Mohan, and K. R. Shanmugasundaram, Antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in type II diabetes mellitus with and without complications Clin. Sci. 90, 255–260 (1996).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. A. Ceriello, N. Bortolotti, A. Crescentini, et al., Antioxidant defences are reduced during the oral glucose tolerance test in normal and non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects, Eur. J. Clin. Invest. 28, 329–333 (1998).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. M. J. Bunk and G. F. Combs, Jr., Relationship of selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity and nutritional pancreatic atrophy in selenium-deficient chicks, J. Nutr. 111, 1611–1620 (1981).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. J. M. Braganza, C. D. Hewitt, and J. P. Day, Serum selenium in patients with chronic pancreatitis lowest values during painful exacerbations, Trace Elem. Med. 5, 79–84 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  20. S. Uden, D. Bilton, L. Nathan, L. P. Hunt, C. Main, and J. M. Braganza, Antioxidant therapy for recurrent pancreatitis placebo-controlled trial, Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 4, 357–372 (1990).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. C. D. Eckhert, M. K. Lockwood, and B. Shen, Influence of selenium on the microvasculature of the retina, Microvasc. Res. 45, 74–82 (1993).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. D. J. Becker B. Reul, A. T. Ozcelikay, J. P. Buchet, J. C. Henquin, and S. M. Brichard, Oral selenate improves glucose homeostasis and partly reverses abnormal expression of liver glycolytic and gluconeogenic enzymes in diabetic rats, Diabetologia 39, 3–11 (1996).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. M. L. Battell, H. L. Delgatty, and J. H. McNeill, Sodium selenate corrects glucose tolerance and heart function in STZ diabetic rats, Mol. Cell. Biochem. 179, 27–34 (1998).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. J. L. Schlienger, F. Grunenberger, E. A. Maier, C. Simon, G. Chabrier, and M. J. F. Leroy, Disturbances of plasma trace elements in diabetes relations with glycemic control, Presse Med. 17, 1076–1079 (1988).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. S. Yadav, J. P. Day, V. Mohan, C. Snehalatha, and J. M. Braganza, Selenium and diabetes in the tropics, Pancreas 6, 528–533 (1991).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. M. Simonoff, C. Conri, B. Fleury, et al., Serum and erythrocyte selenium in normal and pathological states in France, Trace Elem. Med. 5, 64–69, (1988).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. M. Tan, L. Sheng, Y. Qian, et al., Changes of serum selenium in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus, Biol. Trace Elem. Res. 83, 231–237 (2001).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. A. Farhat, M. F. Picciano, C. J. Lammikeefe, and H. N. Desilva, Evidence for altered selenium status in pregnant women with diabetes, J. Trace Elem. Exp. Med. 8, 29–39 (1995).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. C. D. Eckhert and K. Woolf, Low selenium status in women with gestational diabetes, FASEB J. 6, (1992).

  30. M. D. Van Loan, N. L. Keim, and A. Z. Belko, Body composition assessment of a general population using total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC), in Sports, Medicine and Health, Excerpta Medica International Congress Series No. 921, G. P. H. Hermans and W. I. Mosterd, eds., Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, pp. 665–670 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  31. M. D. Van Loan, L. E. Kopp, J. C. King, W. W. Wong, and P. L. Mayclin, Fluid changes during pregnancy: use of bioimpedance spectroscopy, J. Appl. Physiol. 78, 1037–1042 (1995).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. J. H. Watkinson, Fluorometric determination of selenium in biological material with 2,3-diaminonaphthalene, Anal. Chem. 38, 92–97 (1966).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. W. C. Hawkes and M. A. Kutnink, High-performance liquid chromatographic-fluorescence determination of traces of selenium in biological materials, Anal. Biochem. 241, 206–211 (1996).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. D. E. Paglia and W. N. Valentine, Studies on the quantitative and qualitative characterization of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase, J. Lab. Clin. Med. 70, 158–169 (1967).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. X. Chen, T. O. Scholl, M. J. Leskiw, M. R. Donaldson, and T. P. Stein, Association of glutathione peroxidase activity with insulin resistance and dietary fat intake during normal pregnancy, J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 88, 5963–5968 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. K. Mahomed, Iron and folate supplementation in pregnancy, Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. CD001135 (2000).

  37. N. L. Sloan, E. Jordan, and B. Winikoff, Effects of iron supplementation on maternal hematologic status in pregnancy Am. J. Public Health 92, 288–293 (2002).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. E. B. Dawson and W. J. McGanity, Protection of maternal iron stores in pregnancy, J. Reprod. Med. 32, 478–487 (1987).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. A. Bashiri, E. Burstein, E. Sheiner, and M. Mazor, Anemia during pregnancy and treatment with intravenous iron: review of the literature, Eur. J. Obstet Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. 110, 2–7 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. J. Bransova, A. Brtkova, E. Sebokova, I. Klimes, P. Langer, and J. Brtko, Diet-induced insulin resistance is associated with decreased activity of type I iodothyronine 5′-deiodinase in rat liver, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 827, 485–488 (1997).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. D. Mentuccia, L. Proietti-Pannunzi, K. Tanner, et al., Association between a novel variant of the human type 2 deiodinase gene Thr92Ala and insulin resistance: evidence of interaction with the Trp64Arg variant of the beta-3-adrenergic receptor, Diabetes 51, 880–883 (2002).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. C. J. Torrance, J. E. Devente, J. P. Jones, and G. L. Dohm, Effects of thyroid hormone on GLUT4 glucose transporter gene expression and NIDDM in rats, Endocrinology 138, 1204–1214 (1997).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. M. L. Furtado, V. Poon, and A. Klip, GLUT4 activation: thoughts on possible mechanisms, Acta Physiol. Scand. 178, 287–296 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. N. Viguerie, L. Millet, S. Avizou, H. Vidal, D. Larrouy, and D. Langin, Regulation of human adipocyte gene expression by thyroid hormone, J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 87, 630–634 (2002).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. M. Foretz, C. Guichard, P. Ferre, and F. Foufelle, Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c is a major mediator of insulin action on the hepatic expression of glucokinase and lipogenesis-related genes, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 12737–12742 (1999).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. N. P. Koritschoner, M. Alvarez-Dolado, S. M. Kurz, et al., Thyroid hormone regulates the obesity gene tub, EMBO Rep. 2, 499–504 (2001).

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Y. Iizuka, E. Sakurai, and N. Hikichi, Effects of selenium on the serum glucose and insulin levels in diabetic rats, Folia Pharmacol. Jpn. 100, 151–156 (1992).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. C. Douillet, A. Tabib, M. Bost, M. Accominotti, F. Borson-Chazot, and M. Ciavatti, Selenium in diabetes: Effects of selenium on nephropathy in type I streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, J. Trace Elem. Exp., Med. 12, 379–392 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. A. S. Mueller, J. Pallauf, and J. Rafael, The chemical form of selenium affects insulinomimetic properties of the trace element: investigations in type II diabetic dbdb mice, J. Nutr. Biochem. 14, 637–647 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. M. R. L'abbe and K. D. Trick, Changes in pancreatic glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities in the prediabetic diabetes-prone BB rat, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 207, 206–212 (1994).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. B. Mukherjee, S. Anbazhagan, A. Roy, R. Ghosh, and M. Chatterjee, Novel implications of the potential role of selenium on antioxidant status in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, Biomed. Pharmacother. 52, 89–95 (1998).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Human Nutrition Research Center and Department of Nutrition, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, USA

    Wayne Chris Hawkes, Zeynep Alkan & Kara Lang

  2. Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, 5700 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland, CA

    Janet C. King

Authors
  1. Wayne Chris Hawkes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zeynep Alkan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kara Lang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Janet C. King
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hawkes, W.C., Alkan, Z., Lang, K. et al. Plasma selenium decrease during pregnancy is associated with glucose intolerance. Biol Trace Elem Res 100, 19–29 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:100:1:019

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:100:1:019

Index Entries

Search

Navigation