Pro198Leu polymorphism affects the selenium status and GPx activity in response to Brazil nut intake

Abstract

Selenoproteins play important roles in antioxidant mechanisms, and are thus hypothesised to have some involvement in the pathology of certain types of dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are both thought to involve impaired biological activity of certain selenoproteins. Previously, supplementation with a selenium-rich Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) has shown potential in reducing cognitive decline in MCI patients, and could prove to be a safe and effective nutritional approach early in the disease process to slow decline. Here, we have conducted a pilot study that examined the effects of a range of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding..