Stroke Archives - Seleniumfacts.com

The association between the risk of heart disease and dietary intakes of selenium remains unclear. Here we report the results of some of the recent observational studies on this topic.

Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Statue of Liberty — Plasma selenium levels are generally low in much of Europe, usually well below 80–90 mcg/L whereas in North America, the levels are generally above 120 mcg/L [Alehagen 2022]. Low selenium status is associated with increased heart disease risk.

In 2025, Liang et al investigated the relationship between the risk of cardiovascular disease and dietary selenium intake in American adults. The researchers used data from 39,372 participants in the 2003-2018 NHANES cross-sectional study. They found an overall prevalence of cardiovascular disease of 8.57% in the participants. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease declined with increasing dietary selenium intake across tertiles. For example, Tertile 2 of dietary selenium intake showed a 16% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease [Liang 2025]. read more

Milestones in early selenium research

1817 Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius discovers selenium

1957 Biochemist Klaus Schwarz shows that selenium in microscopic amounts has a vital importance for mammalian health

1969 Professor J.T. Rotruck discovers that selenium has a biochemical role as a component of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase

1969 Professors R.J. Shamberger and D.V. Frost report a possible protective effect of selenium against cancer in humans

1973 Professor J.T. Rotruck identifies the enzyme glutathione peroxidase as a selenium-dependent protein

1977 Professor G.N. Schrauzer publishes cancer mortality correlation studies showing an inverse correlation between dietary intakes of selenium and cancer mortality in 27 countries

1988 Professor G.Q Yang summarizes the lessons learned about the selenium-related endemic diseases Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck disease and about the importance of adequate daily selenium intakes

1989 Professor G.G. Duthie publishes evidence for a role of selenium in the prevention of cardiovascular disease

1993 Researcher W.J. Blot publishes the results of the Nutrition Intervention Trials in Linxian, China, showing that supplementation with a combination of selenium and other antioxidants reduces the risk of cancer

1994 Professor G.N. Schrauzer publishes evidence that selenium is important in the maintenance and therapy of HIV-infected patients

1996 Professor Larry Clark publishes the results of a randomized controlled trial – the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer study -- that shows selenium's cancer-protective effects on colon cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer

1997 Professor G.F. Combs summarizes the evidence for the protective effects of selenium against cancer

1999 Professor J.E. Oldfield publishes his Selenium World Atlas, mapping areas of selenium deficiency around the world

2000 Researcher O.A. Levander publishes evidence showing an anti-viral effect of selenium

2002 Researcher R. Gärtner shows that supplementation with selenium reduces inflammation in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis

2002 Researcher Margaret Rayman presents the arguments for increasing selenium intakes to realize selenium’s antioxidant and anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effects as well as selenium’s enhancement of immune function and reproductive success.

Tag: Stroke

Selenium and the Risk of Heart Disease

Risk of Cardiovascular Disease