Abstract
The nutritional status of selenium (Se) in pregnant women in rural areas of northern China and its association with diet and indoor air pollution are rarely reported. We recruited 273 pregnant women in early or middle term in Shanxi and Hebei province and detected their fasting blood selenium. Demographic characteristics, food habits, and indoor air pollution exposure were collected with a questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and their 95% confidence intervals for the factors and relatively low blood levels of Se (below the lower quartile). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) blood concentration of Se was 117.35 (103.90, 129.23) μg/L. The rate of Se deficiency was 4.8%, and the rate of overnutrition was 23.8%. The AORs for the risk for relatively low blood levels of Se were 2.26 (1.15, 4.44) for consuming less beef and pork/mutton; 0.39 (0.19, 0.80) for a lower frequency of vinegar consumption; and 1.41 (0.76, 2.60) and 1.18 (0.59, 2.36) for passive smoking and indoor coal pollution, respectively. In conclusion, the nutritional status of Se in pregnant women in a rural area of northern China was acceptable; diet was the main determinant; no conclusive association was found between indoor air pollution and Se nutritional status.
Highlights
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element in the human body [1]
We investigated the relationship between the level of Se in pregnant women and dietary habits, as well as indoor air pollution, in the three selected counties
The samples included in this study offer a certain distributive representativeness for pregnant women in the vast rural areas with relatively low levels of environmental Se in northern China
Summary
It is transferred to the fetus through the placenta and plays an important role in pregnancy [2]. Several epidemiological studies have shown that low levels of Se in pregnancy may be associated with miscarriage, preterm birth, neural tube defects (NTDs), preeclampsia, and other maternal gestational complications [3,4,5,6,7], as well as with impact on the cognitive function of the infant [8]. The importance of Se as an essential trace element is linked to its composition of selenoproteins [9]. The demand for Se significantly increases during gestation [2], and with the development of pregnancy, Se levels in serum gradually decline due to the active transport of Se to the placenta and hemodilution [11]. There is evidence to suggest that suboptimal Se intake during pregnancy is a common phenomenon [12]
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