Selenium in human nutrition was the theme of the 1986 Research Workshop of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. At the workshop, evidence for the nutritional essentiality of selenium to humans was reviewed, and it was concluded that Keshan disease, the cardiomyopathy of children and young women described in China, is now firmly linked to selenium deficiency, although other factors may be involved. Selenium metabolism and techniques for assessing selenium status also received attention at the workshop. A measurement of blood selenium levels was accepted, in general, as a valid technique for assessing selenium status in individuals with relatively constant selenium intakes. Clinical practitioners at the workshop reported that some of their total parenteral nutrition patients not receiving selenium presented biochemical evidence of selenium deficiency, but no characteristic clinical syndrome due to selenium deficiency has yet been observed in such patients. The workshop attendees acknowledged the need for an official guideline for selenium use in total parenteral nutrition, but were unable to develop a consensus regarding such a guideline. However, the workshop agreed that any guideline established in the future should specify the type of patients to be supplemented, the dose of selenium to be administered, and the selenium compound to be used. Until that time, the physician supervising the therapy must assume responsibility both for determining the need for selenium supplementation, and for the administration of the supplemental selenium.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of dietary selenium on the development of Fusarium-induced tibial dyschondroplasia in broiler chickens.

A trial was conducted to determine the effects of dietary level of selenium on the pathogenesis of Fusarium-induced tibial dyschondroplasia (FITD) in broiler chicks, and to assess the applicability of FITD as an animal model of Kashin-Beck disease of humans. Day-old female broilers were fed diets that were deficient in selenium (0.02 ppm Se), adequate in selenium (0.15 ppm Se), or generous in selenium (0.50 ppm Se). TDP-1, the toxic component of the fungus, was administered to 15 of 26 chicks in each dietary group starting at 1 week of age and continuing until the chicks were killed at 24-30 days of age. Plasma selenium levels and hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity were significantly lower in the selenium-deficient group than in other dietary groups; these parameters were not affected by treatment with TDP-1. The mortality rate of the TDP-1-treated selenium-generous group was significantly less than that in the other TDP-1-treated groups, but there were no differences in the incidence, severity, or character of the FITD lesions among the groups. Thus, the interaction of selenium and TDP-1 did not include an effect on FITD.

Amino Acids↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Determinants of plasma vitamin E in healthy males.

Vitamin E or tocopherol, a known antioxidant, may play a role in the etiology of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. This study examined both "internal" (lipids, lipoproteins, and apoproteins) and "external" (dietary components, physical activity, and body mass index) factors which may influence plasma alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol levels. Analyses were done using dietary questionnaires and plasma obtained from 65 nonsmoking male volunteers aged 30-59 years. Forty-six men did not take any supplements while 19 took supplements containing vitamin E. A positive correlation (r = 0.32; P < 0.01) between vitamin E intake and alpha-tocopherol status [(ratio of plasma alpha- or gamma-tocopherol/(total triglycerides + total cholesterol)] and a negative correlation (r = -0.33; P < 0.007) between intake and gamma-tocopherol status were observed. The main internal factors, or determinants, for plasma alpha-tocopherol for nonsupplement users were plasma triglycerides and apoproteins, apoA1 and apoB, but neither lipids nor apoproteins appeared to affect tocopherol levels in supplement users. External determinants of alpha-tocopherol status in nonsupplement users were vitamin E intake, total fat intake, and body mass index, while in supplement users only vitamin E intake was important. Both vitamin E intake and alcohol intake appeared to affect plasma gamma-tocopherol status in a negative manner.

Adult↗