Excess selenium intake is associated with microalbuminuria in female but not in male among adults with obesity: Results from NHANES 2009-2018

Eating habits of a cross-section of the transgender population in the area of Madrid (Spain) and their adaptation to their nutritional needs

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the eating habits of the transgender population throughout the transition process, evaluate the nutritional requirements associated with gender transition, and reflect on the possible dietary challenges facing the transgender population.

METHODS

A cross-sectional observational study was carried out with 146 individuals (58.90% transgender women [n = 86] and 41.09% transgender men [n = 60]) aged between 18 and 60 y old. Eating habits and nutritional intake were evaluated through a food consumption frequency questionnaire, 24-h dietary recall, and subsequent data entry using DIAL software. The anthropometric parameters weight and height were determined following the protocol proposed by the International Society for the Advancement of Kinathropometry and waist circumference was determined following the protocol of the World Health Organization.

RESULTS

The study found that the diets of the studied population were unhealthy, with low fruit consumption (6.4 ± 4.39 rations in transgender men versus 11.5 ± 2.59 rations in transgender women, P = 0.758898323). Diets were high in lipids (43.62 and 44.24 in transgender women and transgender men, respectively) and protein (16.63 and 15.65 in transgender women and transgender men, respectively). Deficiencies in carbohydrates, folate, vitamin D, and minerals such as calcium, iodine, and zinc were detected along with an excess of selenium and especially phosphorus, which could affect hormone levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes were detected as a result of their desire to look similar physically to the desired sex, they followed rules, ways of acting, and habits of primary socialization (learned in the family during their life). The analysis of the changes observed in our study revealed that during the transition process, eating habits changed based on information, often incorrect, obtained from the internet. Therefore, it is advisable to recommend implementing strategies that increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. In this study, we detected some nutritional deficiencies depending on the type of hormone treatment, so nutritional care must be individualized. Therefore, individualized nutritional interventions focused on increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains should be carried out. It would be advisable to develop guidelines for nutritional advice, diagnosis, and intervention for transgender people based on scientific evidence as well as provide nutritional advice to the clinicians responsible for their follow-up.

Association Between Dietary Selenium Intake and Kidney Stones Disease Among Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study from the NHANES Database

Background

Clinically, metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with the formation and relapse of kidney stones diseases (KSD). In the general population, dietary selenium can reduce renal damage by reducing oxidative stress and other physiological pathways. Less is known, however, about the association between dietary selenium and KSD in patients with MetS.

Objective

The present study's purpose is to evaluate the association between dietary selenium intake and the odds of KSD in MetS populations.

Methods

Data of MetS patients aged ≥20 years were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (2007-2018). The information of dietary selenium intake was obtained by 24-hour dietary recall interview. Weighted univariable and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association of selenium intake with KSD in MetS patients and described as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analysis was performed to further discuss this association based on age, gender, and MetS component.

Results

In total, 6,073 patients were included, with 766 (12.61%) KSD cases. After adjusting for covariates, high dietary selenium intake was related to lower odds of KSD in MetS patients (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.50-0.97), especially in females (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.39-0.96), those aged <65 years (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.35-0.80), without a history of hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.40-0.93) and with a history of hypertension (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.38-0.84), diabetes (OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.46-0.99) or central obesity (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.48-0.95).

Conclusion

From this cross-sectional study, we observed that, among patients with MetS, high dietary selenium intake is associated with lower odds of KSD, implying a potential nutritional strategy for preventing KSD in this population.

Genetic Determinants of Selenium Availability, Selenium-Response, and Risk of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Selenium is a trace element and its deficiency has been associated with the risk of PCOS, a multifactorial syndrome that affects a large number of women worldwide. Several databases and literature were searched to find out genetic variants of the genes involved in selenium uptake, metabolism, and regulation which may be significantly associated with the risk of PCOS through Se-related pathways. Genes that require selenium for their biological actions to perform were also shortlisted. A total of eighteen significantly associated genes with forty-four variants were identified as candidate variants that could play a potential role in the modulation of PCOS risk among the study population. The genetic variant distribution data was available in-house and was obtained through a GWAS study of the North India population. In silico tools were applied to understand the functional impact of these variants. Three variants namely LDLR (rs2228671), TNF (rs1041981), and SAA2 (rs2468844) are strongly associated with PCOS risk and have a functional impact on encoded protein. Certain variants of Se uptake genes such as DIO1, GPX2, TXNRD1, DIO2 and GPX3 are also significantly associated with the risk of PCOS development. "C" allele of the Se transporter gene SELENOP (rs9686343) significantly increases PCOS risk. Other potential genes require selenium for their biological actions and are involved in the inflammatory, antioxidant response, and energy homeostasis signaling pathways. Thus, genetic variants of the population may affect the Se availability in the body. Also, deficiency of Se effects may get modulated due to underlying genetic polymorphism of Se-associated genes. This information may be helpful in dosage adjustment of Se supplementation for a population in order to get maximum benefits.

Metal mixture exposures and serum lipid levels in childhood: the Rhea mother-child cohort in Greece

BACKGROUND

Growing evidence suggests that cardiovascular disease develops over the lifetime, often beginning in childhood. Metal exposures have been associated with cardiovascular disease and important risk factors, including dyslipidemia, but prior studies have largely focused on adult populations and single metal exposures.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the individual and joint impacts of multiple metal exposures on lipid levels during childhood.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 291 4-year-old children from the Rhea Cohort Study in Heraklion, Greece. Seven metals (manganese, cobalt, selenium, molybdenum, cadmium, mercury, and lead) were measured in whole blood using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Serum lipid levels included total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. To determine the joint and individual impacts of child metal exposures (log2-transformed) on lipid levels, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) was employed as the primary multi-pollutant approach. Potential effect modification by child sex and childhood environmental tobacco smoke exposure was also evaluated.

RESULTS

BKMR identified a positive association between the metal mixture and both total and LDL cholesterol. Of the seven metals examined, selenium (median 90.6 [IQR = 83.6, 96.5] µg/L) was assigned the highest posterior inclusion probability for both total and LDL cholesterol. A difference in LDL cholesterol of 8.22 mg/dL (95% CI = 1.85, 14.59) was observed when blood selenium was set to its 75th versus 25th percentile, holding all other metals at their median values. In stratified analyses, the positive association between selenium and LDL cholesterol was only observed among boys or among children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke during childhood.

IMPACT STATEMENT

Growing evidence indicates that cardiovascular events in adulthood are the consequence of the lifelong atherosclerotic process that begins in childhood. Therefore, public health interventions targeting childhood cardiovascular risk factors may have a particularly profound impact on reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease. Although growing evidence supports that both essential and nonessential metals contribute to cardiovascular disease and risk factors, such as dyslipidemia, prior studies have mainly focused on single metal exposures in adult populations. To address this research gap, the current study investigated the joint impacts of multiple metal exposures on lipid concentrations in early childhood.

Associations among environmental exposure to trace elements and biomarkers of early kidney damage in the pediatric population

BACKGROUND

In kidney damage, molecular changes can be used as early damage kidney biomarkers, such as Kidney Injury Molecule-1 and Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. These biomarkers are associated with toxic metal exposure or disturbed homeostasis of trace elements, which might lead to serious health hazards. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between exposure to trace elements and early damage kidney biomarkers in a pediatric population.

METHODS

In Tlaxcala, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 914 healthy individuals. The participants underwent a medical review and a socio-environmental questionnaire. Five early damage kidney biomarkers were determined in the urine with Luminex, and molybdenum, copper, selenium, nickel, and iodine were measured with ICP-Mass.

RESULTS

The eGFR showed a median of 103.75 mL/min/1.73 m2. The median levels for molybdenum, copper, selenium, nickel, and iodine were 24.73 ng/mL, 73.35 ng/mL, 4.78 ng/mL, 83.68 ng/mL, and 361.83 ng/mL, respectively. Except for molybdenum and nickel, the other trace elements had significant associations with the eGFR and the early kidney damage biomarkers. Additionally, we report the association of different exposure scenarios with renal parameters.

DISCUSSION

and Conclusions. Among the explored metals, exposure to Cu and iodine impairs renal function. In contrast, Se may manifest as a beneficial metal. Interactions of Mo-Se and Mo-Iodine seem to alter the expression of NGAL; Mo-Cu for CLU; Mo-Cu, Mo-Se, and Mo-iodine for Cys-C and a-1MG; and Mo-Cu and Mo-iodine for KIM-1; were noticed. Our study could suggest that trace element interactions were associated with early kidney damage biomarkers.