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Selenium Status Is Associated with Living Environment and Dietary Intake among Children Aged 3-17 Years in China
Yu Zhou1, Shan Jiang2, Xuehong Pang2
1National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Department of Nutrition, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Human Breast Milk Science, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of Public Nutrition and Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China.
Background:
Selenium is essential for children's health and either deficiency or excess could pose serious health risks. However, nationwide data on selenium nutrition in Chinese children are still lacking, as current studies were primarily limited to historically deficient regions affected by Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck disease.
Objectives:
This study aims to investigate the relationship between the living environment, geographic factors, dietary intake, and the selenium status of Chinese children aged 3-17 y.
Methods:
Data were derived from the National Nutrition and Health Systematic Survey for children aged 0-17 y (CNHSC), conducted between 2019 and 2021. Field surveys were conducted to collect general demographic information, and a food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake. Blood selenium concentrations were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Agilent 7700x), with a cutoff value of 70 μg/L indicating inadequate selenium status.
Results:
The results revealed that the blood selenium concentration of children aged 15-17 y (92.93 μg/L) was higher than that of other age groups. Additionally, children from rural western areas, with a selenium concentration of 83.28 μg/L, were significantly more vulnerable to inadequate selenium status compared with those from eastern cities [odds ratio (OR) = 20.56 (10.77-39.25)]. Dietary intake of dairy products [OR = 0.58 (0.44-0.75)], meats [≥7 times/wk: OR = 0.48 (0.36-0.64), 3-7 times/wk: OR = 0.65 (0.48-0.90)], and aquatic products [OR = 0.53 (0.37-0.75)] were identified as protective factors against inadequate selenium status (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
This study suggests that children in rural western areas may be a priority population for future interventions to improve selenium status. A moderate increase in the consumption of selenium-rich foods, such as dairy products, meats, and aquatic products, is recommended to reduce the prevalence of inadequate selenium status in these regions.
