association between intake and serum selenium levels and risk factors of cardiovascular disease (narrative review)

Background: selenium (se) is an essential trace element and is a potent antioxidant that is involved in the activity of several enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (gpx). selenium metabolism is associated with the biology of heart and its functions, and selenium deficiency is associated with cardiovascular pathology. several studies indicate a relationship between selenium and cardiovascular disease. objectives: the aim of this study was the investigation of the role of selenium in cardiovascular disease. methods: we searched the isi, pubmed, scopus, and google scholar databases for studies that evaluated the association between selenium levels and cardiovascular health and cardiovascular disease. at first, the studies containing the words selenium , cardiovascular disease, selenium supplementation, levels of selenium and hypertension were selected. we searched papers using ‘selenium, ‘selenium supplementation, ‘selenium deficiency and, ‘se in combination with ‘cardiovascular disease, ‘hypertension’, ‘heart disease’, ‘heart failure’ as keywords. results: 17 articles (6 randomized clinical trials and 11 observational studies) were eligible to be included in the current review. some clinical trials have shown that selenium supplementation could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease including lipid profiles and inflammatory markers. observational studies showed that low selenium concentrations are a risk factor of cardiovascular disease however, this is not definitive. but the presence of normal levels of selenium is essential for antioxidant defense. conclusion: more clinical trial studies with larger sample size are needed to confirm that selenium is effective in preventing and treatment of cardiovascular disease.