Abstract
The selenium (Se) content in human hair is useful as an indicator of human Se intake and status. In this regard, when measuring the hair Se concentrations in Chinese inhabitants across northeast to southeast China, the results indicated that generally 84% of all residents have normal hair Se content. Between the sexes, the average hair Se content of males was higher than that of females, irrespective of districts. When comparing geographical regions, the average hair Se content of southern residents was greater than that of northern residents, regardless of gender. Historically, the overall hair Se content of today’s inhabitants decreased between 24% and 46% when compared with the inhabitants living in the same geographic region 20 years ago. The decrease of hair Se content may be related to the overall decrease of grain consumption and the lower Se content in the staple food rice.
Highlights
Selenium is an essential trace element in human nutrition [1]
The present study aims: (1) to evaluate the Se nutritional status of Chinese residents by conducting a systematic survey on hair Se concentrations of residents crossing 10 provinces from northeast to southeast China; (2) to compare the Se nutrition of current residents with data reported in the past, and to analyze if the changes in hair Se content is due to reduced Se intake via rice as a staple food over time
The hair Se content of residents in this study was similar to results presented in recent reports of the same region in China, i.e., 0.29 ± 0.08 in Heilongjiang mg/kg (Table 1) and 0.26 ± 0.08 mg/kg reported in 2011 [15], as well as 0.38 ± 0.16 mg/kg in Henan (Table 1) and 0.39 ± 0.10 mg/kg reported in 2008 for the Huaibei region [16]
Summary
Selenium is an essential trace element in human nutrition [1]. China, for example, is one of the countries designated as low Se or Se deficient according to World Health Organization (WHO) [2]. The concentration of Se in hair is a commonly-used index to evaluate body Se load, as it reflects the long-term Se level of the human body [10]. Hair Se content was found to regularly increase from the Keshan disease zone (0.25 μg/g) [13]. The present study aims: (1) to evaluate the Se nutritional status of Chinese residents by conducting a systematic survey on hair Se concentrations of residents crossing 10 provinces from northeast to southeast China; (2) to compare the Se nutrition of current residents with data reported in the past, and to analyze if the changes in hair Se content is due to reduced Se intake via rice as a staple food over time
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