Se intake in the UK is thought to be declining whereas little is known about the Se status of Middle Eastern countries in general and Saudi Arabia specifically. Recent pre-clinical and clinical studies suggest a possible link between Se status and bone health. The purpose of this study was primarily to determine Se status, and secondarily to determine the influence of Se inadequacy on bone health using prospective measures of dietary selenium (Se) intake and bone health, and retrospective analyses of plasma and serum Se content. Plasma/serum Se concentration was measured in 76 women from the Saudi Arabian Bone Health (SABHS) study (34 premenopausal and 42 postmenopausal), and 92 women from the Vitamin D, Food Intake, Nutrition and Exposure to Sunlight (D-FINES) study in southern England (27 Caucasian premenopausal, 35 Caucasian postmenopausal,14 Asian premenopausal and 16 Asian postmenopausal). Bone health marker data was available for all subjects while dietary intake data was available for United Kingdom (UK) subjects only. Se was lower in Saudi Arabian compared to UK subjects (P<0.01) even after adjusting for body size. Postmenopausal women had higher Se across all ethnicities. Se status was significantly positively correlated with Se intake in the UK Caucasian subjects (autumn 2006 intakes) and 91.5% of the UK subjects did not meet the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI). Se status and intake relative to bone health had mixed outcomes. Based on these findings, Se status and intake is insufficient in UK and Saudi Arabian women with premenopausal women most affected.
Diets Higher in Dairy Foods and Dietary Protein Support Bone Health during Diet- and Exercise-Induced Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Premenopausal Women
