The Study
Inflammation Mediates the Associations Between Selenium Status and Glucose Metabolism in Chinese Females Over 45 Years Old: a National Cross-Sectional Study.
This study looked at a group of women and found that those with more selenium in their blood also tended to have higher blood sugar levels. But it didn't watch them over time, so we don't know if the selenium caused the high blood sugar—or if the high blood sugar changed how their bodies handled selenium.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at older Chinese women and found that those with higher levels of selenium in their blood, especially a protein called selenoprotein P, were more likely to have high blood sugar and insulin resistance.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even though selenium is usually seen as healthy, too much may harm metabolism in this group, and inflammation might be why.
- 2Women with the highest selenium levels had 48% higher odds of having type 2 diabetes.
- 3Their blood sugar and insulin levels were also higher.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Biological trace element research
Year
2025
Authors
Xiyao Liu, Yang Cao, Jingxin Yang, Jie Feng, Wenxuan Wu, Huidi Zhang, Jiaxi Lu, Yuting Li, Licheng Yang
Related Content
Claims (6)
Chronic selenium toxicity occurs when a person consistently consumes more selenium than the body can process and eliminate through normal selenoprotein turnover.
In Chinese women over 45, higher levels of selenium in the blood are linked to higher fasting blood glucose, higher fasting insulin, and greater insulin resistance.
In Chinese women over 45, higher levels of selenoprotein P in the blood are linked to higher blood sugar, higher insulin levels, and greater insulin resistance, which are indicators of type 2 diabetes.
In Chinese women over 45, levels of selenoprotein P are more closely linked to impaired glucose metabolism than levels of total plasma selenium or glutathione peroxidase 3.
In Chinese women over 45, levels of glutathione peroxidase 3 show no meaningful link to insulin resistance or glycated hemoglobin, and only a weak link to fasting blood glucose, suggesting it does not play a major role in selenium-related metabolic changes.
In Chinese women over 45, higher levels of selenium biomarkers are linked to impaired glucose metabolism, and this link is partly explained by elevated levels of specific inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 and a combined inflammatory score.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.