One of the most common questions I have parents and patients ask me in regards to idiopathic scoliosis is “is there anything we can do from nutritional stand point?”  Nutrition and scoliosis is a poorly researched and understood topic to say the least and while many theories and “experts” claim to have developed a scoliosis nutritional supplement, none (to date) have had any significant impact on the natural course of the idiopathic scoliosis condition. 

A rare study into the topic of nutrition and scoliosis, published in 2007 by online publisher Wiley Interscience, examined the hair samples of 59 idiopathic scoliosis patients with scoliosis spine curves ranging from mild to very severe.  The researcher tested for copper, zinc, and selenium levels in each patient.  The researchers discovered no statistically significant differences in the levels of copper or zinc in the scoliosis test group in comparison to a non-scoliosis spine group, but the selenium levels did differ significantly.

The selenium levels in the scoliosis spine tested group were significantly lower than the non-scoliosis spine group, however this information in and of itself is not sufficient to conclude idiopathic scoliosis is caused by selenium deficiency. 

This new piece of information in regards to idiopathic scoliosis may have been lost or disregarded as trivial, but not particularly helpful, except some of the group breaking work being done in the development of the much anticipated scoliosis blood test could help researchers learn more about the effect of selenium on idiopathic scoliosis progression.

The one of the two parts of the scoliosis blood test measures the patient’s levels of a cytokine called Osteopontin (OPN), which primarily regulates bone growth.  The scoliosis blood test researchers found levels of OPN levels elevated 2 to 3 times higher than normal in patients with severe scoliosis and could potentially be used to screen “at risk” patients before they even start to develop a scoliosis spine curvature.

So what’s the connection between low selenium levels and increased Osteopontin levels in patients with idiopathic scoliosis you ask?  Well, it’s a little know fact that therapeutic doses of selenium (200 micrograms) can have the effect of naturally decreasing OPN levels, which, logically, means that selenium deficiency could increase the risk of allowing Osteopontin levels to risk must more rapidly and to higher amounts in the genetically pre-disposed scoliosis patient.

Idiopathic scoliosis is a complex and multi-factorial condition with many possible environmental risk factors/triggers.  Selenium deficiency may play role in some case, but not in others.  Further research on the relationship between selenium deficiency and OPN levels in the scoliosis needs conducted to determine if selenium supplementation can potentially be used to prevent the development of a scoliosis spine in genetically “at risk” patients.