title: Blood pressure and blood selenium: a cross-sectional and longitudinal population study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Western Europeans have low blood levels of selenium (BSe), an antioxidant trace element. In a Flemish population, we investigated the cross-sectional and longitudinal association of blood pressure (BP) with BSe.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We randomly recruited 710 subjects (mean age 48.8 years; 51.8% women). We measured BP and BSe and kept participants in follow-up for BP. At baseline, systolic/diastolic BP averaged (SD) 130/77 (17.3/9.2) mmHg. BSe was 97.0 (19.0) microg/L. Of 385 participants with normal baseline BP (<130 and <85 mmHg), over 5.2 years (range 3.4-8.4 years), 139 developed high-normal BP (130-139/85-90 mmHg) or hypertension (>or=140/90 mmHg). In multivariate-adjusted cross-sectional analyses of men, a 20 microg/L ( approximately 1 SD) higher BSe was associated with lower BP with effect sizes of 2.2 mmHg systolic (95% CI -0.57 to -5.05; P = 0.009) and 1.5 mmHg diastolic (95% CI -0.56 to -2.44; P = 0.017). In prospective analyses of men, a 20 microg/L higher baseline BSe was associated with a 37% (95% CI -52 to -17; P = 0.001) lower risk of developing high-normal BP or hypertension. None of these associations was significant in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Deficiency of selenium might be an underestimated risk factor for the development of high BP in European men.
authors.affiliation: Studies Coordinating Centre, Laboratory of Hypertension, Division of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tim S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Nawrot
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Staessen
authors.forename: Harry A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Roels
authors.forename: Elly
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Den Hond
authors.forename: Lutgarde
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Fagard
authors.forename: Anna F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Dominiczak
authors.forename: Harry A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Struijker-Boudier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D012643:Selenium