Significant Beneficial Association of High Dietary Selenium Intake with Reduced Body Fat in the CODING Study

Yongbo Wang,Mariam Shahidi,Pardis Pedram,Hongwei Zhang,Xiang Gao,Jianling Du,Yanqing Yi,Guang Sun,Wayne Gulliver

doi:10.3390/nu8010024

Abstract

Selenium (Se) is a trace element which plays an important role in adipocyte hypertrophy and adipogenesis. Some studies suggest that variations in serum Se may be associated with obesity. However, there are few studies examining the relationship between dietary Se and obesity, and findings are inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the association between dietary Se intake and a panel of obesity measurements with systematic control of major confounding factors. A total of 3214 subjects participated in the study. Dietary Se intake was determined from the Willett food frequency questionnaire. Body composition was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Obese men and women had the lowest dietary Se intake, being 24% to 31% lower than corresponding normal weight men and women, classified by both BMI and body fat percentage. Moreover, subjects with the highest dietary Se intake had the lowest BMI, waist circumference, and trunk, android, gynoid and total body fat percentages, with a clear dose-dependent inverse relationship observed in both gender groups. Furthermore, significant negative associations discovered between dietary Se intake and obesity measurements were independent of age, total dietary calorie intake, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, medication, and menopausal status. Dietary Se intake alone may account for 9%–27% of the observed variations in body fat percentage. The findings from this study strongly suggest that high dietary Se intake is associated with a beneficial body composition profile.

Highlights

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen substantially in the past three decades.A recent survey showed that the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity increased by27.5% for adults and 47.1% for children between 1980 and 2013, with the number of overweight and obese individuals soaring from 857 million to 2.1 billion during the same period [1]
TF%, AF%, GF%, and BF% were significantly lower in men than in women (p < 0.001)
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study designed to examine the association between dietary Se intake and a full panel of obesity measurements with systematic control of major confounding factors in a large adult population

Summary

Introduction

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen substantially in the past three decades.A recent survey showed that the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity increased by27.5% for adults and 47.1% for children between 1980 and 2013, with the number of overweight and obese individuals soaring from 857 million to 2.1 billion during the same period [1]. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen substantially in the past three decades. A recent survey showed that the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity increased by. In 2010, overweight and obesity were estimated to have caused 3.4 million deaths, 4% of years of life lost, and 4% of disability-adjusted. Nutrients 2016, 8, 24 life-years worldwide [3]. Given its substantial increase in prevalence and associated health risks, obesity has become a major global health challenge. It is influenced by various factors, including genetic predisposition, variations in nutrient intake, and behavioral and environmental factors [4]

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