The effects of selenium plus probiotics supplementation on glycemic status and serum lipoproteins in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

The aim of the current study was to determine the effects of probiotic plus selenium supplementation on glycemic control and lipid profils in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).This randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted among 60 patients with GDM. Participants were randomly allocated into 2 groups to intake either placebo (n = 30) or probiotic (8 × 109 CFU/day) plus 200 μg/day selenium (n = 30) for 6 weeks.Selenium plus probiotic supplementation significantly reduced fasting glucose (-4.5 ± 5.8 vs. -1.2 ± 4.3 mg/dL, P = 0.004), insulin concentrations (-1.4 ± 1.7 vs. -0.2 ± 1.1 μIU/mL, P = 0.002) and insulin resistance (-0.4 ± 0.5 vs. -0.1 ± 0.3, P = 0.001), and significantly increased insulin sensitivity (+0.008 ± 0.009 vs. +0.001 ± 0.006, P = 0.002) compared with the placebo. Co-supplementation also significantly decreased triglycerides (-16.6 ± 44.4 vs. +14.9 ± 26.4 mg/dL, P = 0.005), total cholesterol (-24.2 ± 29.2 vs. +4.5 ± 18.7 mg/dL, P = 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (-20.8 ± 30.8 vs. -0.2 ± 16.8 mg/dL, P = 0.006) compared with the placebo. Moreover, co-supplementation increased gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) (P = 0.003) and LDL-receptor (P = 0.001) in the peripheral blood mono-nuclear cells of the participants with GDM.Probiotic plus selenium supplementation to patients with GDM for six weeks had beneficial effects on glycemic status, lipid profiles, and PPAR-γ and LDLR expression. However, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were not significantly changed.