title: Selenium levels in blood of upper Silesian population: evidence of suboptimal selenium status in a significant percentage of the population.
abstract: The selenium status and the relationship of whole-blood selenium and plasma homocysteine are reported for healthy human subjects living in Upper Silesia. A total of 1063 individuals (627 male and 436 female) examined for whole-blood selenium were subdivided into six groups according to age; the youngest included adolescents (n=143) aged 10-15 yr, and the oldest were centenarians (n=132). The mean Se content was relatively low (62.5+/-18.4 microg/L), and it tended to be higher in men (65.9+/-17.2 microg/L) than in women (57.5+/-18.9 microg/L). Selenium levels appeared to be age dependent, as the highest values were observed in young and middle-age adults (21-40 yr), whereas they were significantly lower in adolescents and in the elderly. In more than 40% of apparently healthy adults (aged 21-69 yr), the Se concentration was within the range 60-80 microg/L (i.e., below the lower limit of the nutritional adequacy range [80 microg/L]). A significant inverse correlation between whole-blood selenium and plasma total homocysteine was detected in a smaller population sample of middle-aged and elderly persons (n=204).
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological and Medical Sciences, Academy of Physical Education, ul. Mikolowska 72A, 40-065 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kłapcińska
authors.forename: Stanisław
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poprzecki
authors.forename: Alojzy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Danch
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sobczak
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kempa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D012643:Selenium