Selenium deficiency causes
Overview
Selenium deficiency is relatively rare in healthy well-nourished individuals. Few cases in humans have been reported.
Causes
It can occur in patients with severely compromised intestinal function, those undergoing total parenteral nutrition, those who have had gastrointestinal bypass surgery, and also in persons of advanced age (i.e., over 90).[1]
People dependent on food grown from selenium-deficient soil may be at risk for deficiency.
For some time now, it has been reported in medical literature that a pattern of side-effects possibly associated with cholesterol-lowering drugs (e.g., statins) may resemble the pathology of selenium deficiency.[2][3]
References
- ↑ Ravaglia, Giovanni; Forti, Paola; Maioli, Fabiola; Bastagli, Luciana; Facchini, Andrea; Mariani, Erminia; Savarino, Lucia; Sassi, Simonetta; et al. (2000). "Effect of micronutrient status on natural killer cell immune function in healthy free-living subjects aged ≥90 y". American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 71 (2): 590–8. PMID 10648276.
- ↑ Moosmann, B; Behl, C (2004). "Selenoprotein synthesis and side-effects of statins". Lancet. 363 (9412): 892–4. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15739-5. PMID 15031036.
- ↑ Moosmann, B; Behl, C (2004). "Selenoproteins, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and the consequences: Revisiting of the mevalonate pathway". Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine. 14 (7): 273–81. doi:10.1016/j.tcm.2004.08.003. PMID 15542379.