Selenium intake, food sources, and associated factors in Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil): a cross-sectional study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Selenium is essential to human health. There are few reports on the analysis of selenium intake in the Brazilian population; however, data have shown that Brazilian are in the deficient range of consumption. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the major foods that contribute to dietary selenium and determine the socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with selenium intake. DESIGN AND SETTING: This cross-sectional study used baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). METHODS: Selenium consumption was evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) developed and validated for the ELSA-Brasil. To determine the contribution of selenium consumption, each food item was divided by the total selenium intake of the population. Associations between selenium intake (mg/day, dependent variable) and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors (predictors) were tested using multiple linear regression analyses. RESULTS: The sample comprised 14,780 participants, most of whom were adults (78.5%). Individuals with income ≥ 3 minimum wages were mostly concentrated in the 5th quintile of selenium consumption; positive and significant correlations were found between selenium intake and female sex, age ≥ 60 years, income ≥ 3 minimum wages, higher or postgraduate education, alcohol consumption, and moderate physical activity level. Nuts and fish contributed the most to dietary selenium. CONCLUSION: Nuts, meat, and fish contributed the most to the dietary intake of selenium, and selenium intake was associated with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors among the evaluated individuals.
Source: Sao Paulo Medical Journal
Authors: Elen Cintia Vale Pedro, Jéssica Levy, Dirce Maria Lobo Marchioni, Isabela Judith Martins Bensenor
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo
Language: English
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4410898182