Serum antioxidants and inflammation predict red cell distribution width in older women: The Women's Health and Aging Study I

• Published in: Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) Vol. 29; no. 5; pp. 600 - 604
• Main Authors: Semba, Richard D, Patel, Kushang V, Ferrucci, Luigi, Sun, Kai, Roy, Cindy N, Guralnik, Jack M, Fried, Linda P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging - metabolism; alpha-Tocopherol - blood; alpha-Tocopherol - metabolism; Antioxidants - physiology; Baltimore; Biological and medical sciences; Carotenoids; Carotenoids - blood; Carotenoids - metabolism; Cohort Studies; Disabled Persons; Erythrocytes - cytology; Erythrocytes - metabolism; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Humans; Inflammation - metabolism; Interleukin-6; Interleukin-6 - blood; Interleukin-6 - metabolism; Oxidative Stress; Red cell distribution width; Selenium; Selenium - blood; Selenium - metabolism; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamin E; Vitamin E - blood; Vitamin E - metabolism; Women's Health; Baltimore; Oxidative stress; Carotenoids; Selenium; Red cell distribution width; Vitamin E; Interleukin-6; Human; Health; Ageing; Prediction; Red blood cell; Metabolic diseases; Inflammation; Antioxidant; Blood cell; Distribution; Female; Serum; Woman
• ISSN: 0261-5614; 1532-1983
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2010.03.001

Summary Background & aims Red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of heterogeneity in the size of circulating erythrocytes, is associated with some chronic diseases and predicts mortality. Although oxidative damage and inflammation have been theorized to affect RDW, the relationships of antioxidants and inflammation with RDW have not been well characterized. The aims were to determine whether total serum carotenoids, α-tocopherol, selenium, protein carbonyls, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are associated with RDW and predict RDW over time. Methods RDW was measured at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months follow-up in 786 moderately to severely disabled community-dwelling women, aged ≥65 years, in the Women's Health and Aging Study I in Baltimore, Maryland. Results Selenium was significantly associated with RDW at baseline and predicted RDW over two years' follow-up in separate multivariate mixed-effects models that adjusted for other covariates. As expected, the addition of IL-6 to the models attenuated the association of serum selenium with RDW, as low antioxidant levels are known to upregulate IL-6. Total carotenoids were associated with RDW at baseline and one year follow-up. Protein carbonyls and α-tocopherol were not significantly associated with RDW. Conclusion Serum selenium is an independent predictor of RDW and may potentially mediate effects on RDW through IL-6.