SELENIUM AND LIPID PARAMETERS IN PLASMA OF PORTUGUESE SUBJECTS

To obtain further insight into the role of selenium in the development of atherosclerosis, plasma selenium and lipid parameters were determi ned in 126 Portuguese subjects living in the region of Lisbon, 60 wome n and 66 men, 20-60 years old, divided up in to three groups according to their plasma lipid profile: Group I consisted of normolipidemic su bjects having plasma triglycerides and total cholesterol < 200mg/dL; G roup II was composed of hypercholesteremic subjects with total cholest erol > 200mg/dL and plasma triglycerides < 200mg/dL, Group III was com posed of hypercholesteremic and hypertriglyceremic subjects having tot al cholesterol and plasma triglycerides > 200mg/dL. Respective values for mean plasma selenium (+/- SD) in the groups were: 93 +/- 18 mu g/L , 90 +/- 17 mu g/L and 96 +/- 18 mu g/L. A weak significant difference in plasma selenium between women and men was, however, observed in Gr oup I (87 +/- 20 mu g/L vs. 100 +/- 11 mu g/L, p < 0.05). Regression a nalysis showed no significant relationship between plasma selenium and lipid parameters, except in the most hyperlipidemic women of Group II I, where a weak correlation between plasma selenium and the HDL-choles terol/total cholesterol ratio (r = 0.80, p < 0.05) was observed. The p resent study suggests that the relationship between selenium and HDL-c holesterol has to be further examined, taking into account nutritional , metabolic and genetic factors.