Selenium is a potent antioxidant in the body. Some have made claims that selenium can help prevent the development of heart disease, specifically coronary artery disease, without substantial support from clinical studies.
A recent review of all literature on the use of selenium for heart disease was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The authors determined that selenium has been associated with a decreased risk for heart disease in observational studies, but randomized clinical trials designed to evaluate selenium as a treatment or preventative measure did not find similar results.
So based on this analysis, the authors state that selenium should not be a recommened treatment alternative for preventing cardiovascular disease.
But selenium does have some merit as a preventative measure, based on observational studies. But it seems that these studies do not carry as much weight as the "gold standard"--randomized clinical trial. Perhaps this study will prompt future research into seleniums role in preventing heart disease.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on November 13, 2006 04:37 PM
