Impact of Intensive Physical Activity on Selenium Status

Abstract

Various biomarkers were used to assess selenium (Se) status during 3 months of basic military training in a group of recruits. Samples of whole blood and plasma or serum were taken from a group of conscripts three times: at the beginning (n = 15), in the middle immediately after a severely stressful physical activity (n = 15) and at the end of military training (n = 13). Selenium was determined in diet samples, blood, plasma and plasma protein fractions as selenoprotein P (SelP) and glutathione peroxidase (eGPx). Selenium was determined by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry and fractionation of proteins performed by affinity chromatography. Total serum glutathione, erythrocyte and serum GPx activity were followed as well. The average Se intake was calculated according to meal consumption questionnaires and Se determined in composite diet samples, giving an assessed intake of 48 ± 10 μg/day. At all three samplings, the average blood Se concentration was within the framework of adequate supply (87 ± 12, 94 ± 15 and 80 ± 13 ng/g). Plasma Se was between 70 and 80 ng/g (71 ± 10, 79 ± 9 and 76 ± 10 ng/g), which is believed to enable the full expression of plasma GPx. The average shares of plasma Se proteins were 61 ± 6%, 58 ± 6% and 54 ± 9% for SelP and 27 ± 4%, 34 ± 7% and 29 ± 5% for GPx. Although the observed tendency of the increases of serum and erythrocyte GPx activities at the second and third samplings with respect to the first was statistically insignificant, it is still indicative of some protection against oxidative stress, while the decreasing SelP levels during training suggest a slowly decreasing biologically active selenium pool.

Gender‐specific distribution of selenium to serum selenoproteins: Associations with total selenium levels, age, smoking, body mass index, and physical activity

“…However, most of these studies were conducted with elderly volunteers and postmenopausal women and determined the activity of GPx rather than its selenium content, therefore a direct link with our study cannot be made. In the recent study of Pograjc et al, where a similar analytical approach with ours was followed, the basic military training in a group of recruits was unable to affect the levels of TSe, the activity of serum and red blood cell GPx and the relative distribution of serum selenium to GPx-3 and SelP although a trend of lower Se-SelP was observed during training [37].…”

A Review of Dietary Selenium Intake and Selenium Status in Europe and the Middle East

“…Eastern European countries tended to have lower Se intake than their western counterparts, as indicated by a Polish study [ 25 ], where Se content of the consumed foods was four-times lower than in Spain, which tended to have intakes that exceeded the DRI and RDA [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Studies in France [ 31 ] and Belgium [ 32 ] reported intakes equivalent to the RDA, while those from Slovenia [ 33 ] and Italy [ 34 , 35 ] found intakes below the RDA.…”

Therapeutic Approaches to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Exercise Intervention and Related Mechanisms

“…Selenoprotein P (SeP) is a liver-derived secretory protein, and a significant positive correlation in humans between SeP mRNA expression and insulin resistance was identified using serial analysis of gene expression and DNA chip methods ( 149 ). SeP-deficient mice showed more endurance capacity after training through upregulation of reactive oxygen species and AMPK ( 150 ); however, there was no change in SeP secretion with exercise training in rodents ( 150 ) or humans ( 119 , 151 ), suggesting that inhibition of SeP is an exercise-enhancer rather than an exercise mimicker.…”