Sex-Specific Association between Fasting Plasma Glucose and Serum Selenium Levels in Adults from Southern Mexico

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element that by its antioxidant properties has been studied to elucidate its participation in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. We evaluated the association between cardiometabolic traits and serum Se levels in a sample of adults from southern Mexico. In 96 nondiabetic individuals, anthropometric data and clinical biochemistry measurements were analyzed. Serum total Se levels were measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Serum Se level in the whole sample was 10.309 +/- 3.031 mu g mL(-1) and no difference between the women and men was observed (p = 0.09). Additionally, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was significantly associated with serum Se level (beta = -0.07 +/- 0.03, p = 0.02, analysis adjusted for age, sex and BMI). Furthermore, sex shows significant interaction with FPG on the serum Se levels (p = 0.01). A follow-up analysis revealed the particular association between FPG and Se levels in women (beta = -0.10 +/- 0.04, p = 0.01). In conclusion, our data evidenced a women-specific association between FPG and serum Se levels in a sample of adults from southern Mexico.