Selenium concentrations in elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease: a cross-sectional study with control group

Abstract

Objective: To investigate possible differences in plasma and erythrocyte concentrations of selenium among elderly with and without a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Cross-sectional study, performed with an elderly group with Alzheimer’s disease, diagnosed by a geriatric doctor, and compared to an elderly group without the disease, equaling gender, education, and age. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry determined plasma and erythrocyte concentrations of total selenium (Set). Results: The mean age was 74.41±7.1 years in the Alzheimer’s disease group and 71.46±5.1 years among the control group. The Alzheimer’s disease group presented lower plasma concentrations (mean of 45.29±14.51 µg/dL vs. 55.14±14.01 µg/dL; p=0.004), and erythrocyte Set (median of 56.36 µg/L vs. 76.96 µg/L; p<0.001). The logistic regression model indicated an association between erythrocyte Set concentrations and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (p=0.028). Conclusion: Elderly with Alzheimer’s disease present lower selenium concentrations in the evaluated organic compartments.

Alzheimer’s Disease Association with Metals and Metalloids Concentration in Blood and Urine

“…Among the studies that determined selenium concentrations in AD patients/controls, some reported lower plasma/serum/blood selenium in AD patients compared to controls [ 55 , 57 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ], some did not find a difference [ 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ], and one study found higher selenium in AD patients [ 76 ]. However, meta-analysis of serum/blood selenium in AD patients defined a decrease in the selenium level correlated with glutathione peroxidase in AD patients [ 77 ].…”

Current understanding and future directions of cruciferous vegetables and their phytochemicals to combat neurological diseases

“…For example, selenium deficiency leads to increased Aβ plaque formation, tau protein hyperphosphorylation, and oxidative stress resulting in neurodegeneration (Haratake et al, 2013). In addition to this, AD patients, elders, and mild cognitive impairment patients have lesser amounts of selenium in their brains which is associated with memory and cognitive impairments (Nascimento et al, 2021; Pereira et al, 2022). Further, clinical and preclinical evidence suggests that selenium supplementation enhances cognitive and memory function in elders, AD patients, and experimental animals indicating that the dietary intake of selenium is essential to improve memory and brain health (Pereira et al, 2022; Tamtaji et al, 2019).…”

Impactos cognitivos da utilização de Intervenções Baseadas em Música em idosos com Doença de Alzheimer: uma revisão sistemática

“…A DA é considerada uma patologia neurodegenerativa multifatorial, complexa e progressiva, sendo a forma de demência mais comumente observada em idosos na atualidade, e produz alterações significativas no comportamento, na modulação emocional e nas funções cognitivas, sobretudo com perdas no processamento linguístico, na memória episódica e na memória de trabalho (Nascimento et al, 2021). O processo para um adequado diagnóstico clínico da DA leva em consideração o histórico clínico do paciente, a avaliação extensiva dos sintomas e demais biomarcadores identificados através da aplicação de testes neuropsicológicos e de exames de imagem (Alves et al, 2021).…”