Significant reverse association between dietary selenium intake and visceral adiposity in the CODING study.

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Cardiovascular Disease Research
• Obesity Studies

Background:

• Excess visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), independent of BMI.
• Reducing visceral obesity is crucial for CVD prevention.
• The role of dietary selenium (Se) in regulating VAT is not well understood, with previous studies lacking direct links.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between dietary selenium intake and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) levels.
• To emphasize the importance of expressing selenium intake relative to body weight (µg/kg/d) for accurate assessment.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study of 3244 participants from the Complex Diseases in the Newfoundland population: Environment and Genetics (CODING) study.
• Dietary selenium intake assessed via Willett food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).
• Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass and volume precisely measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Main Results:

• Visceral adiposity significantly decreased across increasing quartiles of dietary Se intake (µg/kg/d) in both sexes.
• Participants in the highest quartile of Se intake (µg/kg/d) showed substantially lower visceral adiposity (50.97% in women, 63.75% in men).
• A 10% increase in weight-adjusted Se intake (µg/kg/d) was associated with a 2.73% decrease in visceral adiposity, with stronger effects in males and younger individuals.

Conclusions:

• This study demonstrates a significant inverse association between dietary Se intake (µg/kg/d) and VAT, resolving prior inconsistencies.
• The findings highlight that the relationship is evident only when Se intake is expressed relative to body weight.
• Adequate weight-adjusted Se intake may represent a valuable nutritional strategy for reducing visceral obesity and improving CVD prevention.