2021 Volume 3 Issue 4 Pages 228-237
Objective: In this study, we aimed to elucidate the situation of selenium deficiency in patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) and to examine the effect of oral intake of jellified supplements containing selenium in SMID patients with low serum selenium.
Subjects and methods: We measured the serum selenium levels in 40 SMID patients. Furthermore, we compared the serum selenium level between before and after oral intake of the jellified supplements containing selenium for approximately 3 months in 21 SMID patients with a low serum selenium level (after excluding 1 patient for poor adherence).
Results: Estimated selenium intake was lower, and patients with a low serum selenium level were more in the oral intake group than in the enteral nutrition group. In the oral intake group, serum selenium levels were lower in the pureed diet group than in the finely chopped diet group, although there was no difference in estimated selenium intake between them. Moreover, the serum selenium levels were increased after receiving the selenium supplements in 17 of 21 patients with a low serum selenium level.
Conclusions: Serum selenium levels were lower in patients on a texture-modified diet than in those on enteral nutrition, even though the selenium intakes estimated from the menu were similar. Adequate selenium supplementation increased serum selenium levels, indicating that it is useful to use oral supplements containing selenium and a menu where some loss of selenium through preparation of texture-modified diets is taken into account.
