Lee Swanson Research Update

Low Selenium Levels Linked To Arthritis Risk

January 2006

Knee osteoarthritis

People without enough selenium in their bodies face a higher risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.

In a first-of-its-kind study involving 940 participants, researchers at UNC’s Thurston Arthritis Center found that for every additional tenth of a part per million of selenium in volunteers’ bodies, there was a 15% to 20% decrease in their risk of knee OA. Those who had less of the trace mineral than normal in their systems faced a higher risk of the degenerative condition in one or both knees. The severity of their arthritis was related to how low their selenium levels were.

"We are very excited about these findings because no one had ever measured body selenium in this way in relationship to [OA]," said study leader Dr. Joanne Jordan, associate professor of medicine and orthopedics at UNC School of Medicine. "Our results suggest that we might be able to prevent or delay [OA] of the knees and possibly other joints in some people if they are not getting enough selenium. That’s important because the condition, which makes walking painful, is the leading cause of activity limitation among adults in developed countries."

Jordan and colleagues presented results of the study at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego.

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