Abstract
Alterations in pubertal timing have been associated with long-term health outcomes. While a few reports have shown that dietary intake of selenium is associated with fertility and testosterone levels in men, no human studies have considered the association between selenium and pubertal development in children. We examined the cross-sectional association of childhood dietary intake of selenium with pubertal development among 274 girls and 245 boys aged 10–18 years in Mexico City. Multiple logistic and ordinal regression models were used to capture the association between energy-adjusted selenium intake (below Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) vs. above RDA) and stages of sexual maturity in children, adjusted for covariates. We found that boys with consumption of selenium below the RDA had lower odds of a higher stage for pubic hair growth (odds ratio (OR) = 0.51, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.27–0.97) and genital development (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.28–0.99) as well as a lower probability of having matured testicular volume (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.15–0.88) compared with boys who had adequate daily dietary intake of selenium (above RDA). No associations were found in girls. According to our results, it is possible that inadequate consumption of selenium may be associated with later pubertal development in boys, suggesting a sex-specific pattern. Future work with a larger sample size and measures of selenium biomarkers is needed to confirm our findings and improve understanding of the role of this mineral in children’s sexual development.
Highlights
Puberty, the transitional period between childhood and adult sexual maturity, is a complex process involving a series of biological events
We found that low dietary intake of selenium with energy adjustment was associated with later pubertal development associations in boys, adjusted for child age and body mass index (BMI) z-score, number of siblings at birth, maternal age, marital status and smoking history, and household SES (Table 4)
The mechanism by which dietary selenium consumption during childhood may affect puberty is largely uncharacterized, selenium may influence pubertal development through several pathways including its involvement in the production of sex hormones, growth hormones, body fat and oxidative stress as these factors have been shown to play an important role in the process of sexual maturation [14,15,16,17,18,19,20]
Summary
The transitional period between childhood and adult sexual maturity, is a complex process involving a series of biological events. Changes in the timing of pubertal onset have been observed over the past few decades, with studies from the US and Europe reporting a trend towards earlier menarche and thelarche in girls, as well as earlier genital development in boys [1]. Nutritional factors during childhood have been shown to affect sexual maturation and account for 25% of the variation in pubertal timing [3]; inadequate childhood dietary intake of nutrients could negatively affect pubertal development [3,4]. Selenium is an essential trace element that plays an important role in animal and human health. The health effects of selenium are mostly mediated by selenoproteins (selenium-containing proteins) and antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), thioredoxin reductase (TRxR) and Nutrients 2019, 11, 1595; doi:10.3390/nu11071595 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
