Cardiovascular disease is staggeringly common in North America, and it is the leading cause of death worldwide. Though not commonly thought of as a heart nutrient–in fact, not commonly thought of enough at all–getting adequate selenium could help.
This new study of selenium intake’s effect on cardiovascular disease included 39,372 people.
It found that, as selenium intake went up, cardiovascular disease rates went down. People with the highest dietary selenium intake had significantly reduced risks of congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, heart attack, angina and stroke. The benefit was not significant in the highest group, but selenium reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 16% in the second highest group.
This study shows that selenium significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease until it reaches a saturation point at which it doesn’t help any further. This suggests that moderate amounts of dietary selenium that are capable of maintaining an optimal level of selenium can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Sci Rep. 2025;15:13427.