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Sex-Specific Differences in Biological Effects and Metabolism of Selenium

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Selenium

Abstract

Women and men differ in several aspects of development, metabolism and endocrine regulations, among many other issues. In most clinical studies women are underrepresented, have a higher risk for certain diseases, e.g., autoimmune or allergic diseases, have a different perception of pain, and suffer from a higher frequency of adverse drug reactions. Moreover, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics differ considerably between the sexes. This notion is increasingly recognized in basic and clinical science. Selenium (Se) is a very instructive example for a micronutrient that displays some sexual dimorphic aspects in relation to its metabolism, effects and roles in health and disease. The available experimental and clinical data indicate that in general, males are more responsive to acute changes in the Se supply, their Se status responds with faster kinetics and stronger amplitude to inflammatory stimuli, and likewise they seem more sensitive to adverse health effects upon surplus Se intake. These differences complicate Se research and interpretation of clinical studies on the importance of Se for maintaining health or reducing disease risk in men and women, and especially for the (adjuvant) treatment of certain diseases by Se-containing supplements. It is therefore inappropriate to extrapolate Se-related findings from studies conducted with one sex to the other sex, or to design, conduct or interpret future clinical studies without considering the sex of the participants.

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Acknowledgements

Work in the author’s lab is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Experimentelle Endokrinologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow Klinikum, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    Lutz Schomburg

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  1. Lutz Schomburg
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Correspondence to Lutz Schomburg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Dolph L. Hatfield

  2. Institut für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Ulrich Schweizer

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, Maryland, USA

    Petra A. Tsuji

  4. Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Vadim N. Gladyshev

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Schomburg, L. (2016). Sex-Specific Differences in Biological Effects and Metabolism of Selenium. In: Hatfield, D., Schweizer, U., Tsuji, P., Gladyshev, V. (eds) Selenium. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41283-2_32

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