Selenium Improves Muscle Health in Elderly

by | Jul 1, 2008 | 2007, Aging, Minerals, Selenium

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Research shows that out of 900 patients, those with the lowest 20% of selenium blood levels were 64%, 80%, and 66% more likely to have significantly decreased hip, knee and grip strength respectively, compared to those in the highest 20% of selenium blood levels.

Defined as “loss of skeletal mass normally seen in association with aging”, sarcopenia has been linked to increased falls, functional decline, osteoporosis, poses a risk for type 2 diabetes (1) and contributes to the $17 billion each year to treat injuries in the elderly due to falling (2). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states this is due in large part to the fact that 28-34% of adults aged 65 to 74  and 35-44% of adults ages 75 or older engage in no leisure-time physical activity (3).

Fortunately, nutritional supplementation is starting to garner attention in helping patients in regards to sarcopenia and physical activity. Specifically, vitamin E has been found to help decrease frailty in the elderly (4) while vitamin D has been found to help reduce falls in the elderly (5) and improve walking speed (6).

Now a new study (7) has found that selenium, found in previous research to improve digestive health (8), joint health (9), fetal health (10) and prostate health (11) may also help muscle function in the elderly.

In the study conducted in Italy, researchers drew blood samples from nearly 900 patients to measure for selenium levels. They then tested hip, knee and grip strength, according to previous research (12). The researchers defined low hip, knee, and grip strength at the following cutoffs: 13.0, 10.5, and 16.0 kg for women and 20.5, 16.5, and 28.0 kg for men.

While previous research has shown the average selenium intake in the elderly Italian population to be 51 micrograms per day with an RDA of selenium to be 55 micrograms per day (13), they found that those in the lowest 20% of blood selenium levels (less than 839 micromoles/L) were 64%, 80%, and 66% more likely to have significantly decreased hip, knee and grip strength, respectively compared to those in the highest 20% of blood selenium levels (greater than 1.037 micromoles/L).

After citing previous research showing that selenium increases muscle strength (14, 15), the researchers concluded that “low plasma selenium is an independent correlate of poor skeletal muscle strength in older adults.”

Source: Lauretani, Fulvio, Richard D. Semba, Stefania Bandinelli, Amanda L. Ray, Jack M. Guralnik, and Luigi Ferrucci. “Association of low plasma selenium concentrations with poor muscle strength in older community-dwelling adults: the InCHIANTI Study.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 86, no. 2 (2007): 347-352.

© 2007 American Society for Nutrition

Posted July 1, 2008.

References:

  1. Kamel, H.K., Sarcopenia and aging. Nutr Rev, 2003. 61(5 Pt 1): p. 157-67.
  2. National Osteoporosis Foundation Website.
  3. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
  4. Ferrucci L. Lower Plasma Vitamin E Levels Are Associated With the Frailty Syndrome: The InCHIANTI Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2006 61: 278-283
  5. Flicker, L. (2005). “Should older people in residential care receive vitamin D to prevent falls? Results of a randomized trial.” J Am Geriatr Soc 53(11): 1881-8
  6. Bunout D. Effects of vitamin D supplementation and exercise training on physical performance in Chilean vitamin D deficient elderly subject. Exp Gerontol 2007; 41(8): 746-752.
  7. Fulvio Lauretani, Richard D Semba, Stefania Bandinelli, Amanda L Ray, Jack M Guralnik, and Luigi Ferrucci. Association of low plasma selenium concentrations with poor muscle strength in older community-dwelling adults: the InCHIANTI Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2007 86: 347-352.
  8. Peters U.  High Serum Selenium and Reduced Risk of Advanced Colorectal Adenoma in a Colorectal Cancer Early Detection Program.  Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev2006;15(2):315–20.
  9. AmericanCollegeof Rheumatology 2005 Annual Conference – San Diego, CA
  10. Beyrouty P.  Co-consumption of selenium and vitamin E altered the reproductive and developmental toxicity of methylmercury in rats Neurotoxicity and Teratology.  Available online 19 January 2006.
  11. Diwadkar-Navsariwala V.  PN Selenoprotein deficiency accelerates prostate carcinogenesis in a transgenic model AS 2006 103: 8179-8184.
  12. Bandinelli S, Benvenuti E, Del Lungo I, et al. Measuring muscular strength of the lower limbs by hand-held dynamometer: a standard protocol. Aging 1999;11:287–93.
  13. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and carotenoids.Washington,DC:NationalAcademyPress, 2000.
  14. Brown MR, Cohen HJ, Lyons JM, et al. Proximal muscle weakness and selenium deficiency associated with long term parenteral nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr 1986;43:549–54.
  15. Yagi M, Tani T, Hashimoto T, et al. Four cases of selenium deficiency in postoperative long-term enteral nutrition. Nutrition 1996;12:40–3.