Abstract

The beneficial effects of selenium (Se) as a trace element in chronic metabolic disease had been well reported in many studies. A change of Se level in human affects body metabolism significantly. The mechanism through which the Se improves diabetes, hyperglycemia and obesity is by relieving insulin resistance, reducing appetite and upregulating genes for fatty acid breakdown. The most important effect of Se is the regulation of the immune system. The present studies reveal that Se and Se-enriched products can be considered as promising candidates for the treatment of chronic metabolic diseases especially diabetes and obesity.

Keywords: Selenium; Diabetes; Obesity; Insulin resistance; Immune regulation; Gut microbiota

Abbreviations: T2D: Type 2 diabetes; Se: Selenium; IR: Insulin Resistance; HbA1c: Glycated Hemoglobin; FBG: Fasting Blood Glucose; FBW: Fasting Body Weight; IL: Inter Leukin; TNF: Tumor Necrosis Factor; HSPs: Heat Shock Proteins; FFA: Free Fatty Acids; Se- longum DD98: Selenium-enriched Bifidobacterium longum DD98; AST: Alanine Amino Transferase; ALT: Aspartate Amino Transferase; CPT1: Carnitine Palmitoyl Transferase-1; PPARα: Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha; FAS: Fatty Acid Synthase; LPL: Lipo Protein Lipas; PPARγ: Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Gamma; NAFLD: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease