Serum selenium, vitamin antioxidants, and cardiovascular mortality: a 9-year follow-up study in the Netherlands

Abstract

The association between low serum selenium, vitamin A, and vitamin E levels and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) was investigated in a case-control study nested in a 9-yr prospective study in the Netherlands. For 10,532 persons aged greater than or equal to 5 yr who participated in a 1975-1978 medical survey, serum was stored at -20 degrees C. For the 84 of 106 subjects aged 37-87 yr who died of CVD after the baseline exam, 168 cohort members alive at the end of 1983 and matched for age and gender were selected as controls. No significant associations between serum selenium. vitamin A, vitamin E, and CVD mortality were observed before and after multivariate analyses. The adjusted risk of death from CVD for subjects in the lowest selenium quintile (less than 105.0 micrograms/L) was 1.6 (95% CI, 0.8-3.2). For coronary and stroke death risk, estimates were 1.1 (95% CI, 0.5-2.6) and 3.2 (95% CI, 0.8-12.1). Our findings do not show a clear CVD risk from low selenium and vitamin levels. Although some of the risk estimates were strong, larger studies are required for definitive conclusions.

Association Between Toenail Selenium and Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction in European Men: The EURAMIC Study

“…In several prospective (3)(4)(5) and case-control (6) studies, low serum selenium levels were associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. However, in other studies, this association could not be confirmed (7)(8)(9)(10). Antioxidant defense is achieved by additive or synergistic action of enzymes and antiox-idant nutrients (11,12).…”

“…The question of whether low selenium status predisposes to cardiovascular disease has been addressed in a number of studies in the past decade (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). In several prospective (3)(4)(5) and case-control (6) studies, low serum selenium levels were associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease.…”

Low plasma retinol predicts coronary events in healthy middle-aged men: The PRIME Study

“…Presumably, this was also the case in US Physicians whose retinol lacked any prediction of CHD [13]. A Dutch study in men and women of broad age-range, which included low retinol levels [21] probably lacked significance because of gender differences and the age-dependent rise in plasma retinol in males [1,22].…”

Low plasma selenium concentrations and mortality among older community-dwelling adults: the InCHIANTI Study

“…Serum selenium concentrations seem to decrease with age (2,3) and are lower in persons with cancer and chronic diseases (3). Low serum/plasma selenium concentrations have been associated with increased mortality from cancer (4,5) and increased all-cause mortality among community-dwelling older men and women in France (6) and women in the USA (7).…”