Blood pressure and blood selenium: a cross-sectional and longitudinal population study.
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.
Nawrot
Tim S
TS
Studies Coordinating Centre, Laboratory of Hypertension, Division of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Campus Gasthuisberg, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Staessen
Jan A
JA
Roels
Harry A
HA
Den Hond
Elly
E
Thijs
Lutgarde
L
Fagard
Robert H
RH
Dominiczak
Anna F
AF
Struijker-Boudier
Harry A
HA
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
D012643:Selenium