title: Plasma selenium levels and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Chinese adults: a cross-sectional analysis.
abstract: Selenium exposure can induce liver insulin resistance and increased liver triglyceride concentrations in animals, which may link to an increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, epidemiological studies investigating the association between elevated plasma selenium levels and NAFLD were not available. We aimed to investigate the association of selenium levels with the prevalence of NAFLD in Chinese adults. This was a cross-sectional study of 8550 Chinese adults aged 40 yr or older in Shanghai, China. A questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory tests were conducted. NAFLD was diagnosed by hepatic ultrasound after the exclusion of alcohol abuse and other liver diseases. Plasma selenium concentration was assessed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. The median concentration of plasma selenium was 213.0 μg/L. Elevated plasma selenium levels were associated with higher triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, post-loading plasma glucose, A1c, HOMA-IR, as well as ALT, AST and γ-GT (all P < 0.05). The odds ratios were substantially higher for NAFLD (OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.13-2.18) in the highest selenium quartile compared with those in the lowest quartile, after adjustment for potential cofounder. The results of this study provided epidemiological evidence that increased plasma selenium level is associated with elevated prevalence of NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chonghuai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yixin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Weiwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital Chongming Branch, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Key Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of Ministry of Health, RuiJin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, E-Institute of Shanghai Universities, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Digestion and Nutrition, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jiangao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.|Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital Chongming Branch, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D012643:Selenium