Relationship between higher serum selenium level and adverse blood lipid profile

Area of Science:

• Nutritional biochemistry
• Cardiovascular health
• Trace element metabolism

Background:

• Selenium is crucial for glutathione peroxidase and antioxidant activity.
• Its role in lipid metabolism and association with dyslipidemia remains debated.
• Understanding selenium's impact on lipid profiles is essential for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between serum selenium concentrations and lipid profiles in a rural Chinese population.
• To examine the relationship between selenium levels and the prevalence of dyslipidemia.
• To identify specific subgroups where this association might be stronger.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 8198 rural Chinese participants.
• Serum selenium measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
• Lipid concentrations (TC, TG, HDL-c, LDL-c) quantified using standard kits.

Main Results:

• Serum selenium positively correlated with total cholesterol (TC), HDL-c, TG, and LDL-c (all P < 0.001).
• Higher selenium quintiles were associated with increased risk of High-TC and High-LDLC dyslipidemia.
• Associations were stronger in post-menopausal women and individuals with diabetes.

Conclusions:

• Elevated serum selenium is linked to adverse lipid profiles and increased dyslipidemia risk in rural Chinese.
• The findings suggest a complex relationship between selenium and lipid metabolism.
• Randomized controlled trials are recommended to validate these associations and explore causality.