Selenium supplements could increase cholesterol levels

14 Nov 2009 - Posted by the Editorial Team

Consuming too much selenium, an essential mineral, can increase cholesterol levels by nearly ten per cent.

This is according to researchers at the University of Warwick, UK, whose findings suggest that taking selenium supplements can cause adverse affects.

It was discovered that study participants with higher plasma selenium concentrations - the levels of selenium on the blood - had an average total cholesterol increase of eight per cent.

There was also a ten per cent increase in non-HDL cholesterol levels. These consist of lipoproteins that can help predict a person's risk of suffering a heart attack or chest pain.

Of the patients with the highest selenium levels, more than 48 per cent admitted to regularly taking dietary supplements.

Study leader Dr Saverio Stranges said the results of the study are a cause for concern.

"The cholesterol increases we have identified may have important implications for public health," he explained.

"In fact, such a difference could translate into a large number of premature deaths from coronary heart disease."

Eighty per cent of a person's cholesterol is produced by their own body, mainly by the liver.

Visit the Cholesterol Knowledge Centre

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