Association between Selenium Status and Chronic Kidney Disease in Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Based on CHNS Data

The association between selenium and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. Population studies with large samples facilitate the reliability of conclusions.

In this study, we aimed to describe the prevalence of a CKD association with selenium intake in middle-aged and older Chinese.

Data for this study were obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). A total of 5381 participants (aged ≥ 45) with biochemical test data were included in the study. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between diet selenium intake (quartile) and the prevalence of CKD.

A total of 942 (17.01%) participants had CKD. The prevalence of CKD was 23.33%, 20.32%, 14.98%, and 9.25% among participants with average selenium intakes of 21.5 ± 4.82, 33.1 ± 2.79, 43.8 ± 3.70, and 67.0 ± 13.97 µg/day, respectively. In the fully adjusted model (Model 3), across the quartiles of selenium intake, the ORs for the prevalence of CKD were 1.00, 1.09 (95% CI 0.69-1.73), 0.82 (95% CI 0.49-1.38), and 0.43 (95% CI 0.22-0.85). The protein intake had a certain diagnostic significance for the selenium intake.

An adequate selenium intake may have a positive effect on CKD. The influence of individual weight and location on the effect of selenium on CKD needs to be further explored.