Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2018 and is preserved for historical interest. Some recommendations, regulations, and scientific evidence have changed since it was written. It reflects the research and perspectives available at that time.
Research appearing in Diabetes Care (2012 Jul; 35(7): 1544-51) looked at two cohort studies, involving over 7,000 men and women. The subjects were free of type 2 diabetes and heart disease at the start of the study (one study started in 1982-83, the other in 1986-87). Selenium levels were measured in the toenail. Questionnaires were given to the subjects through 2008. By 2008, 780 cases of type 2 diabetes had been identified. The researchers found that the risk for developing diabetes was inversely proportional to the selenium levels measured at the beginning of the study.
