title: Distribution of toenail selenium levels in young adult Caucasians and African Americans in the United States: the CARDIA Trace Element Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data on selenium (Se) levels in American young adults, especially in African Americans, are lacking.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study presented toenail Se distributions in American young adults of both genders, including both Caucasians and African Americans; and explored potential predictors of toenail Se levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study among 4252 American young adults, aged 20-32 in 1987 was used to examine toenail Se levels by instrumental neutron-activation analysis. The distribution of Se levels was described and multivariable linear regression was used to examine potential modifiers of toenail Se concentration within ethnicity-gender subgroups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The geometric mean of toenail Se in this cohort was 0.844 μg/g (95% CI, 0.840-0.849 μg/g) and the median was 0.837 μg/g (95% CI, 0.833-0.844 μg/g). Median levels from lowest to highest quintile were 0.691, 0.774, 0.838, 0.913 and 1.037 μg/g. Se levels varied geographically, and were generally in accordance with its concentrations in local soil. Males, African Americans, current smokers, heavy drinkers and less educated participants were more likely to have low Se levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that toenail Se levels vary geographically depending on soil Se concentrations. In addition to gender, ethnicity and education level, smoking status and alcohol consumption are two important indicators of Se status since they are modifiable lifestyle factors. Findings from this study might aid public health professionals in identifying people at relatively high or low Se levels, so that chronic disease prevention efforts can be directed toward these subgroups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health and School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2221 McGavran-Greenberg, Campus Box: 7461, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Pengcheng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xun
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bujnowski
authors.forename: Kiang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J Steve
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Zhongqin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Ka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009262:Nails / Q000737:chemistry*; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D012643:Selenium