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Associations Between Serum Selenium and Bone Mineral Density in 8–19-year-old children and adolescents: NHANES 2013–2018

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Abstract

The peak bone mass (PBM) in puberty has been proven to be a critical determinant of osteoporosis and brittle fractures in the elderly. Selenium is an essential trace element that could influence bone metabolism in our bodies. However, no study has investigated the impact of selenium status on bone mineral density (BMD) among children and adolescents. This was a cross-section study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the USA involving participants aged 8–19 years. We conducted multiple linear regression models to assess the relationship between selenium status and BMD among children and adolescents, and then stratified analyses were performed according to genders and races. Smooth curve fits and two-piecewise linear regression models were conducted to explore their nonlinear relationship. A total of 4570 participants (2338 boys and 2232 girls) were included in the present study, with a mean age of 13.57 ± 3.41 years. In the multivariable adjustment model, serum selenium was positively associated with lumbar spine BMD (β = 0.021 95% CI: 0.008, 0.034, P = 0.001). The dose–response analyses indicated a non-linear inverted U-shaped relationship between serum selenium and lumbar spine BMD. Lower and higher selenium concentrations were related to decreased BMD, and the inflection point of serum selenium was 2.60 umol/L. The inverted U-shaped association was also observed in females (inflection point: 2.49 umol/L), males (inflection point: 2.65 umol/L), Non-Hispanic White (inflection point: 2.50 umol/L), Non-Hispanic Black (inflection point: 2.50 umol/L), and other races (Including multi-racial) (inflection point: 2.81 umol/L). Our study first shows a non-linear inversed U-shaped association between selenium status and BMD among children and adolescents. The proper selenium status will benefit bone health in children and adolescents. More research is still required to verify our findings and their potential mechanisms.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during the current study are available in the NHANES repository (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/).

The data used in this study could be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Honghui Hospital, Xi’an Jiao Tong University, Xi’an, 710000, China

    Aiyong Cui, Xing Wei, Hongquan Wen, Shaobo Liang, Pengfei Wang, Jing He & Yan Zhuang

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, Guangdong, China

    Peilun Xiao

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Contributions

Conceptualization: Aiyong Cui, Peilun Xiao, Yan Zhuang, Jing He, Pengfei Wang; Data curation: Pei-Lun Xiao and Xing Wei; Formal analysis: Aiyong Cui, Peilun Xiao; Investigation: Aiyong Cui, Peilun Xiao, Hongquan Wen, Shaobo Liang; Methodology: Aiyong Cui, Peilun Xiao, Jing He; Project administration: Hongquan Wen, Pengfei Wang; Software: Aiyong Cui, Peilun Xiao, Xing Wei; Visualization: Hongquan Wen and Yan Zhuang; Writing—original draft: Aiyong Cui, Peilun Xiao; Writing—review and editing, Aiyong Cui, Peilun Xiao, Yan Zhuang.

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Correspondence to Pengfei Wang, Jing He or Yan Zhuang.

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Aiyong Cui, Peilun Xiao, and Xing Wei contributed equally to this work.

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Cui, A., Xiao, P., Wei, X. et al. Associations Between Serum Selenium and Bone Mineral Density in 8–19-year-old children and adolescents: NHANES 2013–2018. Biol Trace Elem Res 202, 1928–1936 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03808-8

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