Food as a source of selenium for the residents of the Russian European North

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the contribution of food when providing Arkhangelsk city's residents, being of different age and sex, with selenium. Methods. 386 food samples were used for the analysis. Serum samples of 180 volunteers, including 90 men and 90 women of different age groups, were studied to observe the sex-and-age dynamics. Selenium content in the selected samples was detected by means of fluorimetric method in a liquid analyzer Fluorat "02-2M", according to the MG (methodological guidelines) 4.1.03395. Type of distribution for the samples was determined using Shapiro-Wilk test. To describe quantitative data with normal distribution, we used arithmetic mean, mean-square error of arithmetic mean, minimum and maximum values. Parameters with abnormal distribution were presented as a median. Validity of differences was analyzed using Fisher - Student and Mann-Whitney test: valid differences were considered having values < 0.05. Results. According to a research it is established that selenium content in food increases in the following sequence: fruit → vegetables → berries → mushrooms → eggs → grain products and pasta → fish products → meat products → milk and dairy products. The analysis of data showed that the average content of selenium in blood serum of women (Me = 60.85 mkg/l) is slightly lower, than in blood serum of men (67.09 mkg/l), (U = 908, p < 0.05). Conclusions. The data obtained indicate that the amount of selenium consumed by the residents of Arkhangelsk with food is on average within the lower limit of the norm recommended by World Health Organization. Despite this, slight selenium deficiency prevails among the surveyed residents. The analysis revealed that 4.4 % of women have a severe degree of selenium deficiency, 68.9 % of women and 61.1 % of men - a slight degree of insufficiency. Most residents of the city of Arkhangelsk are at risk of developing selenium deficiency.