Ingestas diarias de selenio a partir de su cuantificación en alimentos cocinados en una región endémica afectada por arsenicismo en Argentina / Daily selenium intakes from quantification in foods cooked in an arsenic-endemic region of Argentina

RESUMEN Cuantificar los niveles de selenio en alimentos cocinados y consumidos en una zona endémica de arsénico y calcular las ingestas diarias para estudiar si contribuyen a disminuir la acción tóxica del arsénico. Se muestrearon n= 38 alimentos consumidos en comedores escolares y en una casa de familia de Taco Pozo. La cuantifícación se realizó con Flow Injection Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS). Para el cálculo de ingesta se consideró los pesos de las porciones de alimentos consumidos y el peso corporal de referencia para los individuos (adultos y menores) según la edad. Las concentraciones promedios de selenio en los desayunos/meriendas oscilan entre 32,2 a 69,1 ng/g peso húmedo (ph), los almuerzos/cenas entre 14,0 a 67,6 ng/g ph. La ingesta diaria total se encuentra entre 13,0 a 67,4 μg/día. Los desayunos presentaron mayores concentraciones que los almuerzos/cenas. Las ingestas diarias resultaron inferiores a la dosis diaria recomendada a excepción de uno de los puntos muestreados. Se estima que estas dietas no mitigarían los efectos tóxicos del arsénico, aumentando la posibilidad de apariciones de patologías asociadas a éste.

ABSTRACT Quantify selenium levels in cooked and consumed foods in an arsenic endemic area and calculate the daily intakes to study if they contribute to diminish the toxic action of arsenic. We sampled n= 38 foods consumed in school canteens and in a family home in Taco Pozo. Quantification was performed with Flow Injection Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS). The weights of the portions of food consumed and the reference body weight for individuals (adults and minors) according to age were considered for the calculation of intake. We quantified selenium levels in foods cooked and consumed in an arsenic-endemic area and calculated daily intake to study if consumption contributed to a decrease in the toxic activity of arsenic. Thirty-eight foods consumed in school cafeterias and in a family home in Taco Pozo were sampled. Quantification was performed using Flow Injection Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS). For consumption calculation, we considered portion weight of each food and the body weight of the individuals studied. The average selenium concentration in breakfast / snacks ranged from 32.2 to 69.1 ng/g wet weight (ww) and between 14.0 and 67.6 ng/g ww for lunches/dinners. The total daily intake was between 13.0 and 67.4 μg/day1. The daily intakes were lower than the recommended daily dose except for one of the points sampled. These diets do not help to mitigate the toxic effects of arsenic, thus increasing the possibility of occurrences of associated pathologies.

Development and validation of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess nutritional status in Korean adults

This study was performed to evaluate the validity of the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which is being used at the Samsung Medical Center. In total, 305 (190 males and 115 females) participants consented and completed the 3-day diet records and FFQ. Age, gender and energy-adjusted and de-attenuated correlations ranged from 0.317 (polyunsaturated fatty acid) to 0.748 (carbohydrate) with a median value of 0.550. The weighted kappa value ranged from 0.18 (vitamin A) to 0.57 (carbohydrate) with a median value of 0.36. More than 75% of the subjects were classified into the same or adjacent quartiles. The FFQ had reasonably good validity compared with that of another study. Therefore, our FFQ is considered a proper method to assess nutrient intake in healthy Korean adults.