title: Selenium status in pregnancy influences children's cognitive function at 1.5 years of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Selenium deficiency has been shown to affect the neurological development in animals, but human research in this area is scarce. We aimed to assess the impact of selenium status during pregnancy on child development at 1.5 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective cohort study was nested into a food and micronutrient supplementation trial (MINIMat) conducted in rural Bangladesh. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we measured selenium concentrations in erythrocyte fraction of blood collected from 750 mothers at gestational week 30, and calculated μg per g hemoglobin. A revised version of Bayley Scales of Infant Development was used to assess children's mental and psychomotor development. A Bangladeshi version of MacArthur's Communicative Development Inventory was used to assess language comprehension and expression. Linear regression analyses adjusted for multiple covariates were used to assess the associations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Maternal erythrocyte selenium concentrations varied considerably, from 0.19 to 0.87 μg/g hemoglobin (median 0.46 μg/g hemoglobin), and were associated with developmental measures. An increase in erythrocyte selenium by 0.50 μg/g hemoglobin was associated with an increase in children's language comprehension by 3.7 points (0.5 standard deviations; 95% confidence interval: 0.40, 7.1; p = 0.028). The same increase in erythrocyte selenium corresponded to an increase in the girls' psychomotor development by 12 points (0.9 standard deviation; 95% confidence interval: 4.3, 19; p = 0.002), but much less in boys.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low prenatal selenium status seems to be disadvantageous for children's psychomotor and language development. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these effects.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Helena M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Skröder
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, GPO Box 128, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Jena D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hamadani
authors.affiliation: International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, GPO Box 128, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Fahmida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tofail
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, International Maternal and Child Health, Uppsala University, SE-751 85, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars Åke
authors.initials: LÅ
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.affiliation: Unit of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: marie.vahter@ki.se.
authors.forename: Marie E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Vahter
authors.affiliation: Unit of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kippler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001459:Bangladesh; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D012643:Selenium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D012643:Selenium
keywords: Biomarker; Child development; Cognition; Erythrocyte; Pregnancy; Selenium