Trace Mineral Deficiencies – Diagnosis and Treatment
Jennifer Doley, Mary J. Marian in Adult Malnutrition, 2023
Primary causes of selenium deficiency include inadequate dietary intake, PN formulations without selenium, and AUD. Dietary sources of selenium are called selenoproteins as selenium is bound to the amino acids methionine and cysteine.2,62 The amount of selenium in food is affected by the concentration of selenium in the soil, which varies greatly throughout the world, but is noted to be lower in China compared to other countries.62 The Chinese population also has higher rates of some cancers, suggesting that selenium supplementation or consumption may have a protective effect; however, evidence directly relating selenium intake and cancer is lacking. Patients with surgical resection of the duodenum and proximal jejunum are also at risk of selenium deficiency as these are the primary locations of selenium absorption.31,62
Deficiency of Mineral Nutrients for Mankind
Jul Låg in Geomedicine, 2017
The biological role of selenium is considered in the context of the protection offered by this nutrient against oxygen radical-induced damage to cellular structures. Clinical effects of selenium deficiency have been reported from a district in The People’s Republic of China where selenium intake is extremely low. Chinese investigators showed that selenium deficiency is one of the principal factors responsible for Keshan disease, a cardiomyopathy mainly affecting children and women of child-bearing age.13,14 Supplementation with sodium selenite was shown to be effective in reducing the incidence, morbidity, and fatality of the disease. A similar condition was later described in subjects administered total parenteral nutrition without selenium supplementation.15,16 A large number of selenium-deficient diseases are described in veterinary medicine.17 Mulberry heart disease seen in pigs, white muscle disease in sheep, and exudative diathesis in poultry brought about great economic loss.
Rationale and Possible Mechanisms by Which Selenium Inhibits Mammary Cancer
Maryce M. Jacobs in Vitamins and Minerals in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer, 2018
Relatively few studies have examined the influence of selenium deficiency per se on the induction of chemically induced tumors. In those published reports the influence of selenium deficiency is inconclusive. Several studies have been unable to detect any alteration in tumor formation. The most extensively examined impact of selenium deficiency on chemical carcinogenesis has been with mammary tumor formation following treatment with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)-anthracene.31,46,49 Ip31,49 provided strong evidence that the ability of selenium deficiency to increase the risk of tumor formation was dependent upon dietary lipid intake. These data suggest that selenium deficiency may alter the promotion phase of carcinogenesis. Unfortunately the impact of selenium deficiency on tumor induction with other carcinogen models has not been as well examined. Far too frequently, data relevant to this issue are not included in manuscripts or appropriate statistical evaluation of the data are not offered. Thus, the true impact of dietary selenium deficiency on chemically induced tumors must await further examination. If there is an influence of selenium deficiency on chemically induced tumors, it may well be on the promotion phase of carcinogenesis and therefore is likely influenced by other dietary constituents.
Sex-specific relationship between blood selenium levels and platelet count in a large cohort representative of the United States population
Published in Platelets, 2022
Selenium, a metalloid that shares several properties with sulfur, is an essential trace element for human health [1,2]. Selenium deficiency is associated with immune impairment, endocrine and reproductive disorders, and juvenile cardiomyopathy (Keshan disease) [1]. Selenium deficiency often results from low selenium content in the diet – food from plants grown or animals raised on soil with low selenium concentration has low selenium content. Several parts of the world have low selenium soil concentration and by some estimates, up to 10% of the world population may have subclinical selenium deficiency [3]. Dietary selenium, through incorporation into selenoproteins, participates in several important functions including redox homeostasis, modulation of intracellular signaling cascades and transcription factors, and thyroid hormone metabolism [4].
The user safety assessment of a selenized yeast feed additive
Published in Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022
Gerry P. Dillon, Colm A. Moran
Selenium is a micronutrient essential for human and animal health. It is associated with a range of biological functions, such as reproduction and fertility, antioxidant processes, the reduction of inflammation and DNA synthesis1,2. In livestock, selenium deficiency can lead to conditions including muscular dystrophy, pneumonia, unthriftiness and reduced weight gain3. Inorganic and organic selenium compounds are commonly used in animal nutrition to supplement livestock diets4. Typically, organic selenium comes in the form of selenized yeast using a specific strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with selenomethionine and selenocysteine as the main organic compounds present, along with an abundance of other low molecular weight selenocompounds5.
A cross-sectional study of blood selenium concentration and cognitive function in elderly Americans: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2014
Published in Annals of Human Biology, 2020
Xiumin Yan, Kailiang Liu, Xiuhong Sun, Shuang Qin, Min Wu, Li Qin, Yao Wang, Zhongyi Li, Xingming Zhong, Xiangcai Wei
There is evidence suggesting that selenium may play a vital role in preventing cognitive decline in the elderly. A previous follow-up study has shown that a decline in plasma selenium levels over time was associated with a risk of cognitive decline (Akbaraly et al. 2007). In one cohort study, the average concentration of plasma selenium was 74.5 ± 12.5 µg/L, and the results showed that lower selenium levels were significantly associated with lower neurological coordination scores in the elderly (Shahar et al. 2010). In rural elderly Chinese, selenium levels measured in nail samples had a consistent relationship with cognitive performance (Gao et al. 2007). The higher the selenium level, the better the cognitive function. According to an RCT (randomized controlled trial) from Brazil, supplementation with Brazil nuts (estimated 288.75 µg/day for 6 months) could restore selenium deficiency, increase blood selenium levels and improve cognitive function (Rita Cardoso et al. 2016). However, a few studies have shown that selenium level is not related to cognitive function. A community-based sample suggested there was no significant difference in cognitive performance between people who took antioxidants and those who did not (Mendelsohn et al. 1998). In addition, other studies have shown that plasma selenium was not associated with cognitive performance, especially in selenium-replete older adults (Perkins et al. 1999; Cardoso and Szymlek-Gay 2018).
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