Association of Serum Zinc and Selenium Concentration
with Insulin Resistance in Apparently Healthy Adults

 

Esraa Hammadi Fahad¹, Farqad Bader Hamdan², Qasem Sharhan Al-Mayah³

 

¹Mustansiriyah University, College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Baghdad, Iraq
²Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, College of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Baghdad, Iraq
³Al-Nahrain University, College of Medicine, Department of Medical Research Unit, Baghdad, Iraq

 

 SUMMARY

 

Introduction/Aim. Zinc is a trace element involved in insulin metabolism, including its production, storage, and release. Selenium is regarded as a vital micronutrient for humans. It participates in insulin signaling and control. Zinc and selenium may be possibly linked to insulin resistance; however, these relationships have not been well investigated. Therefore, we sought to examine the relationship between blood zinc and selenium levels and insulin resistance in apparently healthy individuals.
Methods. This study used a cross-sectional design including 203 apparently healthy people. Measurements were taken to determine zinc and selenium serum levels, fasting insulin, fasting blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin. Insulin resistance was measured by utilizing the Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA‒IR).
Results. The prevalence of insulin resistance, as determined by HOMA-IR, was 26.11%. Patients with insulin resistance had higher age (59.96 ± 12.28 years), body mass index (26.66 ± 3.16 kg/m²), and waist-to-hip ratio (0.93 ± 0.05) compared to those with insulin sensitivity (54.19 ± 9.88 years, 25.92 ± 2.4 kg/m², 0.91 ± 0.05), with statistically significant differences (p-values―0.013, 0.013, 0.029, respectively). Serum zinc levels were elevated in insulin-sensitive individuals (87.12 ± 6.87 mcg/mL) compared to those who were insulin-resistant (84.05 ± 8.29 mcg/mL), with a p-value of 0.036. HbA1c concentration and fasting insulin levels were elevated in the insulin-resistant group (4.95 ± 0.49, 15.78 ± 1.59) compared to the insulin-sensitive group (4.79 ± 0.38, 10.1 ± 2.34), with p-values of 0.033 and 0.003, respectively.
Conclusion. In apparently healthy adults, there is an association between low serum zinc levels and insulin resistance. There is no association between selenium serum levels and insulin resistance.

 Keywords: insulin resistance, zinc, selenium

Corresponding author:

Esraa Hammadi Fahad