Selenium intakes in UK South Asian and Caucasian women: a longitudinal analysis

Abstract

. This study used data collected in the D-FINES (Vitamin D, Food Intake, Nutrition andExposure to Sunlight in Southern England) study to investigate the Se intake of UK women by ethnicity and season. Eighteen- to eighty-year-old Caucasian (mean age = 49 years, n 248) and South Asian (mean age = 50 years, n 55) women completed a 4-d diet diary(including one weekend day) in summer, autumn, winter and spring (June 2006–May 2007). Food-portion size photographs were includedto aid participant estimation. Data were analysed using Win Diets 2005.Median Se intakes in Caucasians were 37, 38, 39 and 37 m g/d in summer, autumn, winter and spring, respectively. Median intakes forSouth Asians in summer, autumn, winter and spring were 35, 30, 36 and 32 m g/d. The gures show that 80–90% of Caucasians and 83–95% of South Asians did not meet the RNI (60 m g/d) in any season and, more worryingly, 60% of Caucasians and 60–70% of SouthAsians did not meet the LRNI (40 m g/d). While there was little seasonal change in Caucasian intakes, the South Asians showed a trend forpoorer intake in autumn than in the other seasons. There was little difference in the percentage of women not achieving the LRNI or RNIby ethnicity, but there was a trend for Asians to be slightly less likely to achieve them in all seasons.Data were energy adjusted to allow for differing nutrient requirements. As the data were skewed, log transformation was performed toallow analysis by parametric methods. Independent samples T -tests showed statistically signi cant ( P £ 0.05) differences in energy-adjusted Se intakes in autumn ( t = 2.515, P = 0.012) by ethnicity, with South Asian women having a signi cantly lower intake. However,no difference was found in summer, winter or spring.