title: Selenium status of a rural (predominantly Amish) community living in a low-selenium area.
abstract: Selenium intake and blood selenium and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase concentrations were assessed in a rural, 71% Amish, sample of residents in a region with low availability of soil selenium and in urban (Columbus, OH) residents. Subjects were interviewed (24-h dietary recalls) on three separate occasions over an 18-month period, and blood and food samples were taken for analysis (maximum subject observations = 452). Mean selenium intake of the entire population was 82.8 +/- 4.4 micrograms/day. Rural and urban residents at 82.0 +/- 4.9 and 83.6 +/- 4.4 micrograms/day, respectively, did not differ significantly in intake. A breakdown by gender within location demonstrated that rural males consumed the most selenium (104.7 +/- 6.1 micrograms/day) and rural females the least (59.3 +/- 6.3 micrograms/day). Rural subject groups had significantly lower mean whole blood, plasma, and erythrocyte selenium levels (12.5 to 14.5%) as well as blood selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase concentrations (5.6 to 10.8%) than urban groups. Subjects in both cohorts were in adequate selenium status as judged by blood parameters, even though about one-fourth of the dietary observations were below the safe and adequate range of selenium intake established by the Food and Nutrition Board. The rural diet was 18.3% lower in selenium density than the urban diet. High selenium grain products (greater than 0.2 micrograms/g) were the most important dietary selenium source in both groups, providing 29.3 to 41.6% of total intake.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009820:Ohio; D012424:Rural Population; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D014505:Urban Population; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014810:Vitamin E; D012643:Selenium