Fingernail selenium levels in relation to the risk of obesity in Chinese children: A cross-sectional study

Selenium (Se) has been suggested to be beneficial to obesity development. However, limited studies have evaluated the association between Se and childhood obesity and the findings are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to examine the association of Se levels with obesity in children in a cross-sectional study. A total of 62 obese (21 girls) and 65 normal-weight children (27 girls) aged 7 to 13 years were recruited in Shanghai, China. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ its 95th age- and sex-specific percentile for children. Participant demographic data and parental information were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. Se concentration in fingernail clippings was quantified using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The average age was 10.9 years (standard deviation = 1.0) and the mean BMI was 21.2 kg/m(2) (standard deviation = 5.0). Fingernail Se levels were relatively higher among normal-weight children as compared with obese participants, though the difference was not statistically significant (P = .79). Se levels were inversely associated with the risk of childhood obesity after adjustment for potential confounders. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 0.24 (0.07–0.84) comparing participants in the highest with those who in the lowest tertile of Se levels (P(linear-trend) = .03). Our study supported an inverse association between fingernail Se levels and the risk of obesity in Chinese children. Data generated from the present study are useful for designing future prospective cohort studies and/or randomized clinical trials.