Currently, there is a debate on the safety of selenium supplementation with respect to type 2 diabetes. As selenium is appreciated for its antioxidant capacity due to incorporation into ROS-detoxifying selenoenzymes [1], an antidiabetic effect of selenium supplementation would be expected. However, recent studies suggest in
Nintedanib that long-term consumption of selenium supplements disturbs the carbohydrate metabolism and increases the risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes in both humans and animals [4], [5] and [37]. Regarding the role of oxidative stress as a key player in development of late diabetic complications [38], these reports appear paradoxically. But the paradox may be resolved by the observation that low levels of hydrogen peroxide enhance
insulin signaling through inhibition of the insulin antagonistic protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B [12], which is itself activated by selenium [37]. Thus, a metformin-induced attenuation of selenoprotein P biosynthesis might contribute to the well-known improvement of peripheral insulin sensitivity elicited by this antidiabetic drug [20] via decreasing selenium bioavailability in extrahepatic tissues.