Quote: “Selenium most probably has a protective role against the development of prostate cancer and its progression to advanced stages. Therefore, selenium supplementation can be proposed for prevention of prostate cancer.”
These words are taken from the conclusion of a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of the association between selenium and prostate cancer [Sayehmiri].
The meta-analysis is based on the data from 38 journal medical articles that included 36,419 prostate cancer cases and 105,293 healthy controls. There were 22 case-control studies, 6 cohort studies, and 10 randomized controlled trials included in the meta-analysis [Sayehmiri].
Selenium levels associated with risk of prostate cancer
The pooled relative risk from the 38 studies of the association of selenium concentration and prostate cancer risk showed a statistically significant 14% risk reduction with higher levels of blood selenium or toe nail selenium.