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Calculation of an Adequate Intake (AI) Value and Safe Range of Selenium (Se) for Chinese Infants 0–3 Months Old Based on Se Concentration in the Milk of Lactating Chinese Women with Optimal Se Intake

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Abstract

The required selenium intake for optimal health in Chinese residents was published in 2014. However, the adequate intake (AI) value for Chinese infants 0–3 months old is not established. This study assessed the current selenium nutritional status of 264 lactating Chinese women from three geographical locations with different Se levels (Liangshan in Sichuan province, Enshi in Hubei province, and Xicheng District in Beijing), to screen mothers with optimal Se intake, and to modify the AI value of Se for Chinese infants 0–3 months old. Milk and plasma Se concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3), and plasma selenoprotein P (SEPP1) was measured by ELISA. Daily Se intake (Y, μg/day) in lactating Chinese woman was calculated from plasma Se concentrations (X, μg/L) using the formula logY = 1.623 log(X) + 3.433. Plasma Se concentrations in lactating Chinese women were 78.19 ± 25.71, 112.48 ± 24.57, and 183.83 ± 45.81 μg/L from Se-deficient, Se-moderate, and seleniferous areas, respectively. Se intakes calculated from concentrations of plasma Se were 45.6 ± 21.69, 80.03 ± 27.69, and 223.10 ± 50.95 μg/day, respectively. An optimal dietary Se intake is not lower than the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) but not more than the tolerable upper intake level (UL). A range of 78–400 μg Se/day was defined as the optimal daily Se intake for lactating Chinese women. The percentages of mothers within this range in Sichuan, Beijing, and Enshi were 8.11, 45.13, and 6.06%, respectively. Based on milk Se concentrations of mothers with optimal daily Se intake, the adequate Se intake value and a safe range for Chinese infants 0–3 months of age were calculated as 15.29 and 8–35 μg Se/day, respectively. The Se status of Chinese lactating women has improved, particularly in traditionally Se-deficient and Se-toxic regions. A safe range for daily Se intake in Chinese infants may be regarded as a guideline for infant formula.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Chinese Nutrition Society Nutrition Scientific Research Funds—Yili Nutrition and Health Research Fund (No. 2013-013) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China under the Grant No. 81372989.

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Author notes

  1. Feng Han and Liping Liu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 100050, China

    Feng Han, Jiaxi Lu, Licui Sun, Qin Wang, Yiqun Liu, Mengjie He & Zhenwu Huang

  2. Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, 100013, China

    Liping Liu

  3. Maternal and Child Care Hospital of Xicheng District, Beijing, 100054, China

    Yingjuan Chai

  4. Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Enshi Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi, 445000, Hubei, China

    Jie Zhang

  5. Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Liangshan, Liangshan, 615000, Sichuan, China

    Shijin Wang

  6. Department of Genetics, Carolina Center for Genome Sciences, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Weipeng Mu

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  1. Feng Han
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Correspondence to Zhenwu Huang.

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The present study was conducted according to guidelines stated in the Declaration of Helsinki, and all procedures involving human subjects were approved by the Ethics Committee of The National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Han, F., Liu, L., Lu, J. et al. Calculation of an Adequate Intake (AI) Value and Safe Range of Selenium (Se) for Chinese Infants 0–3 Months Old Based on Se Concentration in the Milk of Lactating Chinese Women with Optimal Se Intake. Biol Trace Elem Res 188, 363–372 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-018-1440-9

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