Selenium intake in hypertensive and normotensive post-menopausal Indonesian women

The Indonesian Ministry of Health has predicted that the national prevalence of hypertension in Indonesia may reach 26.5% in 2013. Increasing age, stress, lack of physical activity, obesity and passive smoking are known to be risk factors of hypertension. In women over 50 y, hormonal changes that occur post-menopause may also increase the risk of hypertension and other vascular diseases. Antioxidant precursors, such as selenium, however, are known to provide protection against the development of several oxidative stress-related diseases, including hypertension. To prove the hypothesis, we compared the levels of consumption of selenium in hypertensive and normotensive post-menopausal women. An observational comparative study with cross-sectional design was conducted in groups of post-menopausal women with hypertension and those who are normotensive. Structured interviews and food recall of 2×24 h were used to determine the level of consumption, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) questionnaire was used to measure the level of stress. The result suggests a significant difference in the levels of selenium intake between the normotensive and hypertensive groups (p=0.008). Furthermore, the passive smoking and stress levels of the hypertensive group were significantly higher than those of the normotensive group. These result support the hypothesis that selenium may play a protective role in vascular disease.