Evaluation of serum selenium status by age and gender: A retrospective observational cohort study in western Romania

Abstract

Selenium, residing in a series of selenoproteins, plays an important role in both female and male reproductive function. Of particular significance for reproduction is the antioxidant glu-tathione peroxidase (GPx), a main selenoenzyme, whose level is regulated by the availability of Se in the body. We hypothesized that changes in Se status, closely related to GPx activity, would result in an increased risk of reproductive dysfunction in individuals. We retrospectively investigated the serum selenium (SeS) concentrations of 1264 apparently healthy people, aged 16–89 years, from Western Romania. The general analysis revealed a non‐normal SeS distribution with a median SeS of 100.26 ± 18.32 μg/L and a significant difference in SeS levels between age groups. The analysis of the young group (16–35 years) revealed that up to 50% of individuals did not reach the SeS threshold corresponding to maximum GPx activity (80 μg/L), and a significant imbalance between the genders was apparent when looking at SeS values outside the range. Our results correlated with the general diminished reproductive ability registered in Romania during the last few years. Serum selenium content proves to offer a proper reflection of the fertility competence of the young population, and its monitoring is important for guiding dietary adjustments and attaining normal reproductive function.