Influence of selenium supplementation on patients with inflammation: A pilot double blind randomized study.

Abstract

Theaim of the study was to analyze the effect of selenium supplementation on patients with inflammation receiving PN. This double-blind randomized study included 20 hospitalized patients experiencing an inflammatory process while being fed by PN, who were monitored in three stages: first 72h (0), day 7 (1), and day 14 (2) of PN. The supplemented patients group (G+S) received 60μg/d (0.75μmol) of selenium as selenious acid which was added to the PN bag. The nonsupplemented group (G-S) did not receive selenium. The concentration range of 84 to 100μg/L (1.07-1.27μmol/L) was used as a reference of plasma selenium. The study included 20 patients (8G+S and 12 G-S) mainly diagnosed with cancer and/or sepsis. Most of them were hospitalized in the intensive care unit and were receiving PN for clinical reasons. Plasma selenium was greater in the G+S than in the G-S (P=0.05) in two stages (0 and 1). Since the start of assessment, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were elevated; however, there was no statistical difference in CRP values between groups (P > 0.05). There was no significant change of glutathione peroxidase over time or between groups (P>0.05). The selenium concentration was greater in the G+S than in the G-S, acting independently from CRP behavior. However, supplementation was not enough to reach the reference values.