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  • Original Article
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Selenium status in Southern Tasmania

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 61, pages 1057–1063 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To assess the selenium status of Southern Tasmanians.

Design:

Cross-sectional.

Settings:

One thousand and five hundred adults randomly selected from the electoral roll living in the Greater Hobart region of Southern Tasmania, Australia, were invited to participate.

Subjects:

The overall response rate was 22% (335/1500).

Interventions:

A venous blood sample was collected and a questionnaire administered (consisting of brief demographic details and health questions) to subjects who granted informed consent. A previously validated assay using magnetic sector ICP-MS was employed for plasma analysis.

Results:

Total plasma selenium levels for this sample population were normally distributed with a mean level of 110 μg/l (range 67–268 μg/l) indicating that the majority of the subjects were not selenium-depleted (71% with levels greater than 100 μg/l). Adjustment for differential age/gender response rates produced similar values. More women under 50 (42%) and men over 50 (32%) had selenium levels <100 μg/l with the potential for sub-optimal selenoprotein activity. Low education attainment was associated with low total selenium level (P<0.02).

Conclusions:

The majority of participants were not deficient in selenium. Given the narrow therapeutic window of supplementation, dietary advice to increase foods rich in selenium, particularly to higher risk groups, may be an effective means of increasing plasma selenium toward target levels.

Sponsorship:

This project was funded by the University of Tasmania and the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded through the Institutional Research Grants Scheme of the University of Tasmania and the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation. The authors thank Mr. Cameron Phillips for his assistance in blood sample collection.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

    G A Jacobson, Y C Tong, A M Featherstone & G M Peterson

  2. Central Science Laboratory, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

    A T Townsend

  3. School of Human Life Science, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

    M Ball & I K Robertson

Authors
  1. G A Jacobson
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  2. Y C Tong
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  3. A T Townsend
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  4. A M Featherstone
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  5. M Ball
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  6. I K Robertson
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  7. G M Peterson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G A Jacobson.

Additional information

Contributors: GAJ and GMP organised the study concept and design. YCT developed the questionnaire and acquired the data. GAJ, GMP, IKR analysed and interpreted the data including statistical analysis. Analysis of selenium and method validation was undertaken by AMF and ATT. GAJ, ATT, GMP, MB, and IKR drafted the manuscript. GAJ and GMP had full access to all of the data and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

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Jacobson, G., Tong, Y., Townsend, A. et al. Selenium status in Southern Tasmania. Eur J Clin Nutr 61, 1057–1063 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602628

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602628

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