ABSTRACT
We are witnessing a global epidemic of the metabolic syndrome, a health condition defined primarily by the presence of central and peripheral insulin resistance that leads to the concomitant occurrence of several risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperinsulinemia (i.e., excess insulin in circulation) (Huang, 2009). Our dietary habits and diminished physical activity are considered the main triggers of metabolic syndrome development although the contribution of a genetic component to this pathogenesis cannot be disregarded. In this chapter, we will examine how an essential dietary component, selenium, contributes to the development and manifestations of metabolic syndrome through a family of proteins that contain the rare amino acid selenocysteine (Sec).
