Selenium supplements may reduce heart disease risk
A small-scale study has suggested that people who take selenium supplements may be less likely to suffer from heart disease.
Researchers at the National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition found that none of the 14 study participants asked to take a daily selenium supplement exhibited a significant increase in oxidatively modified LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Prior to taking the supplements, participants had experienced a two per cent increase in LDL cholesterol, which has been linked to hardening of the arteries and ultimately heart disease.
Lead researcher Fausta Natella, a member of the institute's Free Radical Research Group, told Nutraingredients.com: "Oxidatively modified LDL activates a series of cellular events in the arterial wall ultimately leading to plaque formation."
The researchers concluded that a ten-day supplementation with selenium is able to prevent susceptibility to oxidative modification of LDL and thereby reduce the risk of heart disease.
The study is published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
A small-scale study has suggested that people who take selenium supplements may be less likely to suffer from heart disease.
