Determining Selenium Serum Level in Healthy Young Couples by Furnace Atomic Absorption

Metal ions are required for various vital body functions and metabolism. Selenium is an active element in selenoproteins and plays an important role in public health, though the increase of its concentration in the body can cause toxicity. Therefore, it seems essential to investigate the serum selenium status of individuals of a society. This study was conducted to determine serum level of selenium in healthy young couples.

This descriptive study was done on 60 young couples who were chosen in 2013 via convenience sampling. The participant's general health was determined using a GHQ28 questionnaire and their serum selenium concentration was measured by furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Data were analyzed by SPSS software utilizing descriptive statistics.

The participant's mean age was 23.18 ± 4.31 years. The 44.6% of subjects had university degrees, 35.7% were reported to have diploma and 19.6% were under diploma. The mean serum selenium level was obtained as 89.1 ± 24.2 µg/l in males, and 80.5 ± 20.7 µg/l in females. The data analysis revealed a statistically significant difference of the serum selenium at the 95% confidence level in regard with participant's gender and education level.

The present study showed that the mean serum selenium of participants lay in the lower part of its normal range. Regarding the role of selenium in human health and prevention of disease, nutrition education is recommended for taking selenium-rich foods to enhance community health and to prevent disease progression.