Randomised controlled trial of the effect of long-term selenium supplementation on plasma cholesterol in an elderly Danish population

British Journal of Nutrition
Q1
Sep 2015
Citations:42
Influential Citations:2
Interventional (Human) Studies
81
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Enhanced Details

Methods
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-arm parallel trial; participants were men and women aged 60–74 years from Funen, Denmark with marginal selenium status.
Intervention
Selenium-enriched yeast (SelenoPrecise) tablets: 0, 100, 200, or 300 μg Se per day, taken daily for 5 years.
Results
Selenium supplementation increased plasma selenium dose-dependently after 6 months and 5 years, but produced no significant differences versus placebo in changes in total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, or total:HDL-cholesterol ratio at 6 months or 5 years. Long-term supplementation up to 300 μg/day for 5 years did not alter cholesterol concentrations in this elderly Danish population; the beneficial lipid effects reported in the UK PRECISE trial were not reproduced. Some small, non-robust reductions in non-HDL-cholesterol and total:HDL-cholesterol ratio were observed in a subset not on lipid-lowering medications, but are not robust. Cross-sectional associations between baseline selenium and lipids were not causal, as longitudinal selenium changes did not affect lipids. No detectable adverse effects were observed.
Limitations
Potential selection bias (about 20% of invited individuals participated); narrow age range (60–74 years); single-centre; post hoc analyses not pre-specified and underpowered for lipid outcomes; non-fasting lipid measurements and lack of dietary data; results may not generalize to populations with higher baseline selenium status.

Abstract

Abstract Although cross-sectional studies have shown a positive association between Se and cholesterol concentrations, a recent randomised controlled trial in 501 elderly UK individuals of relatively low-Se status found that Se supplementation for 6 ...