Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate sex-specific associations of two established serum selenium biomarkers, i.e. total selenium and selenoprotein P with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and hypertension in a large cohort of older people.

Methods: 1500 participants with available selenium measurements from the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) were included in this study. In the serum samples, spectroscopy was used to quantify total selenium, and ELISA was used to measure selenoprotein P. T2D was diagnosed based on antidiabetic medication, self-reported T2D, or laboratory parameters. Hypertension was diagnosed based on self-report, blood pressure measurements, or anti-hypertensive medication. Dose-dependent associations were quantified applying multiple adjusted regression models.

Results: The median (interquartile range) age of the cohort was 68 (65,71) years, and 767 (51%) of the participants were women. 191 (13%) participants were diagnosed with T2D and 1126 (75%) were diagnosed with high blood pressure. Total selenium and selenoprotein P displayed a statistically significant, positive correlation (r= 0.59, P< 0.001), and both selenium and selenoprotein P were elevated in those with self-reported Se supplementation. In the whole cohort, selenium and selenoprotein P were not associated with T2D. In men, selenoprotein P displayed a positive association with T2D, and the odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) for one unit ( mg/dl) increase in selenoprotein P was 1.22 (1.00, 1.48). In the whole cohort, selenium was non-linearly associated with hypertension, and comparing to the lowest quartile (Q1), participants with higher selenium levels (Q3) had a lower OR (95% CI) of 0.66 (0.45, 0.96). In sex-specific analyses, this finding proved to be specific for men. Selenoprotein P was positively associated with hypertension, OR (95% CI) per one unit increase ( mg/dl) was 1.15(1.01,1.32).

Conclusions: The noted independent and dose-dependent associations suggest a potential role of Se status in the risk of T2D and hypertension in older subjects, with differences in associations based on sex and the selenium biomarker assessed.