An exploratory study of selenium status in healthy individuals and in patients with COVID-19 in a south Indian population: The case for adequate selenium status.
Nutrition
; 82: 111053, 2021 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-977166
ABSTRACT
The acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has affected millions of individuals, causing major health and economic disruptions worldwide. The pandemic is still raging, with a second and third wave in a few countries, while new infections steadily rise in India. Nutrition and immune status are two critical aspects of fighting the virus successfully. Recently, selenium status was reported to positively correlate with the survival of patients with COVID-19 compared with non-survivors. We analyzed the blood serum levels in 30 apparently healthy individuals and in 30 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection in the southern part of India. The patients showed significantly lower selenium levels of 69.2 ± 8.7 ng/mL than controls 79.1 ± 10.9 ng/mL. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0003). Interestingly, the control group showed a borderline level of selenium, suggesting that the level of this micronutrient is not optimum in the population studied. The results of this exploratory study pave the way for further research in a larger population and suggest that selenium supplementation may be helpful in reducing the effects of the virus.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Selenium
/
Trace Elements
/
Nutritional Status
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Nutrition
Journal subject:
Nutritional Sciences
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS