{"id":687,"date":"2017-09-22T10:24:49","date_gmt":"2017-09-22T10:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/?p=687"},"modified":"2017-09-22T14:38:05","modified_gmt":"2017-09-22T14:38:05","slug":"687-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/index.php\/687-2","title":{"rendered":"Selenium and liver cancer: the Qidong study results"},"content":{"rendered":"
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China is a country with many selenium-poor regions. The people living in these regions have paid the price with high rates of heart disease, bone disease, and various forms of cancer. Selenium supplementation has proven beneficial in China.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some 50 years ago now, Chinese researchers began to understand the health risks associated with low selenium status.\u00a0 Cross-sectional studies showed an association between low selenium concentrations in cereal grains, the low selenium status of local citizens, and the incidence of Keshan disease, a heart disease with high death rates.\u00a0 The administration of selenium supplements in intervention studies resulted in significant reductions in the incidence of Keshan disease [Chen 2012].\u00a0 Selenium status is one of the main factors contributing to the development of Keshan disease.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Selenium and Kashin-Beck disease<\/strong>
\nNot long afterwards, Chinese researchers realized that Kashin-Beck disease, a disease of the bone, is prevalent in regions of China and Tibet that are poor in selenium.\u00a0 The researchers saw that a deficiency of selenium and iodine was a common factor Kashin-Beck disease regions [Yao 2011].<\/p>\n

Supplementation with selenium and iodine produced positive results in most regions with previously high rates of Kashin-Beck disease. However, there were a few smaller regions in which the supplementation with selenium and iodine could not totally eliminate the disease.\u00a0 There may be additional factors at work in the development of the disease beyond inadequate selenium and iodine status [Yao 2011].<\/p>\n

The Chinese researchers concluded that the role of selenium and iodine in preventing Kashin-Beck disease involves the role of selenium<\/a> in antioxidant protection and maintenance of thyroid function [Yao 2011].<\/p>\n

Selenium and cancer studies in China<\/strong>
\nSometime later, after they had observed an association between low selenium intakes and Keshan disease <\/a>and Kashin-Beck disease, Chinese researchers began to investigate the relationship between selenium deficiency and the risk of cancer.\u00a0 In an earlier article on this website, we have looked at the results of the big National Cancer Institute studies conducted in Linxian province<\/a> in China.<\/p>\n

The data from the Linxian nutrition intervention studies showed that daily supplementation with a micronutrient combination of selenium and vitamin E and beta-carotene significantly reduced total mortality, total cancer mortality, and gastric cancer mortality [Blot].<\/p>\n

The Qidong selenium treatment studies<\/strong>
\nIn Qidong county north of Shanghai, researchers carried out randomized controlled studies similar to the Linxian nutrition intervention studies.\u00a0 Qidong was known to be the region with the second highest rate of primary liver cancer in China.<\/p>\n

The results of the Qidong studies showed that daily supplementation with 200 micrograms of selenized yeast tablets for a four-year period was associated with significantly reduced risk of death from primary liver cancer.<\/p>\n

After cessation of the treatment with high-selenium yeast supplements<\/a>, the cancer incidence rate climbed back up to the pre-selenium treatment level [Yu 1997].<\/p>\n

In a related randomized controlled study with an eight-year follow-up period, Yu reported that the individuals randomized to receive selenized table salt with their meals had a 35% reduction in the incidence of primary liver cancer as compared to the individuals who received a non-selenized table salt with their meals.<\/p>\n

High-selenium yeast tablets are a better option
\n<\/strong>High-selenium yeast tablets are a better option.\u00a0 Many people do not want to increase their daily intakes of sodium — table salt in the form of sodium selenite — in order to increase their selenium intakes.<\/p>\n

A second Qidong selenium and cancer study
\n<\/strong>In a separate three-year study in Qidong county, 1,112 study participants received 500 micrograms of selenium daily while 953 study participants received a placebo tablet daily. \u00a0The blood selenium concentration and the glutathione peroxidase activity increased significantly in the study participants receiving the daily selenium supplements [Li 2000].<\/p>\n

The results:<\/p>\n