Selenium, Copper, and Zinc Indices of Nutritional Status : Influence of Sex and Season on Reference Values

The objective was to estimate the possible influence of season or season and sex on the selenium, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), copper, zinc, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) values in plasma with a view to establishing reference values. For this purpose, 55 healthy volunteers (36 women and 19 men) were selected and their whole-blood samples were collected four times a year at the beginning of each season. In the population as a whole, no statistically significant seasonal differences were detected in copper, selenium, and GSH-Px values in plasma, whereas zinc and SOD values in plasma depended on the season. In general, the variability was higher among the women. In view of the differences…