Blood pressure and blood selenium: a cross-sectional and longitudinal population study

Aims Western Europeans have tow 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. Methods and 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) mu g/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 (>= 140/90 mmHg). In multivariate-adjusted cross-sectional analyses of men, a 20 mu g/L (similar to 1 SD) higher BSe was associated with tower 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 mu g/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. Conclusion Deficiency of selenium might be an underestimated risk factor for the development of high BP in European men.