Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Plasma selenium decrease during pregnancy is associated with glucose intolerance.

Wayne Chris Hawkes1, Zeynep Alkan, Kara Lang

  • 1United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Western Human Nutrition Research Center and Department of Nutrition, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, USA.

Biological Trace Element Research
|July 20, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Pregnancy requires more selenium, and lower selenium levels correlate with poorer glucose tolerance in pregnant women, especially those with diabetes. This suggests selenium

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Association between dietary polyphenol intake and polyphenol-utilizing bacteria in healthy adults.

Food & function·2026
Same author

Zinc and Metabolic Disease.

Annual review of nutrition·2026
Same author

Clover Honey Limits Survival of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in an In Vitro Gastric Model and Reduces In Vitro Fermentation pH of Small Intestine Microbes.

The Journal of nutrition·2026
Same author

Tribute to K. Michael Hambidge, MD, ScD (1932-2023).

The Journal of nutrition·2026
Same author

Gut Microbe Fermentation of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract Increases Measurable Polyphenols and Improves Barrier Function in a Cell Culture Model.

MicrobiologyOpen·2025
Same author

Gut Microbiome Genes Involved in Plant and Mucin Breakdown Correlate with Diet and Gastrointestinal Inflammation in Healthy United States Adults.

The Journal of nutrition·2025

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Human Physiology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Selenium is essential during pregnancy, with maternal levels decreasing due to fetal growth demands.
  • Gestational diabetes and pre-existing diabetes exacerbate selenium level decreases in pregnant women.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between selenium status and glucose tolerance in pregnant women.
  • To explore selenium's potential role in glucose metabolism during gestation.

Main Methods:

  • Measured selenium status and glucose tolerance in 22 pregnant women between 12 and 34 weeks of gestation.
  • Assessed plasma selenium concentration, plasma glutathione peroxidase activity, and glucose levels via oral glucose challenge and fasting measurements.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Inverse correlation found between plasma selenium concentration and blood glucose increase during an oral glucose challenge at 12 weeks gestation.
  • Lower plasma selenium levels were associated with higher fasting glucose levels throughout pregnancy.
  • Lower plasma glutathione peroxidase activity also tended to correlate with higher fasting glucose levels.

Conclusions:

  • Selenium status is inversely related to glucose tolerance in pregnant women.
  • Findings suggest selenium influences glucose metabolism, potentially downstream of insulin or via other regulatory pathways like thyroid hormone.
  • Maintaining adequate selenium levels may be important for glucose regulation during pregnancy, particularly in women with diabetes.