Relationship between the Circulating Selenium Level and Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#cohort-studies #cross-sectional-studies #humans #prospective-studies #selenium

Relationship between the Circulating Selenium Level and Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

Ding et al., 2022 | J Am Nutr Assoc | Meta Analysis

Citation

Ding Jun, Zhang Yi. Relationship between the Circulating Selenium Level and Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. J Am Nutr Assoc. 2022-Jul;41(5):444-452. doi:10.1080/07315724.2021.1902880

Abstract

Objective: To summarize the evidence regarding the relationship between the circulating selenium level and stroke based on observational studies.Methods: The electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched up to October 2020, for observational studies concerning the association between the circulating selenium level and stroke. The pooled relative risk (RR) of stroke for the highest versus lowest category of the circulating selenium level and the weighted mean difference (WMD) of the circulating selenium level for stroke versus control subjects, as well as their corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.Results: A total of 11 articles with 12 observational studies were included (5 prospective cohort, 4 case-control, and 3 cross-sectional). The overall multivariable-adjusted RR demonstrated that the circulating selenium level was negatively associated with stroke (RR = 0.48, 95%CI: 0.24 to 0.94; p = 0.033), which was further confirmed in cross-sectional/case-control (RR = 0.24, 95%CI: 0.10 to 0.63; p = 0.003) and whole blood selenium (RR = 0.41, 95%CI: 0.26 to 0.65; p = 0.004) studies, rather than prospective cohort (RR = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.52 to 1.48; p = 0.62) and serum/plasma selenium (RR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.22 to 1.40; p = 0.21) studies. Moreover, the overall combined WMD showed that the circulating selenium level in stroke was lower than that in control subjects (WMD = -0.16, 95%CI: -0.29 to -0.03; p = 0.017), which was further confirmed in whole blood selenium (WMD = -0.26, 95%CI: -0.44 to -0.08; p = 0.005), rather than serum/plasma selenium (WMD = -0.10, 95%CI: -0.27 to 0.07; p = 0.25) studies.Conclusions: Although our results suggest that the circulating selenium level is inversely associated with stroke, current evidence is still insufficient to conclude their definite association. More well-designed prospective cohort studies with detailed selenium biomarker specification are needed to elaborate the concerned issues further.

Key Findings

A total of 11 articles with 12 observational studies were included (5 prospective cohort, 4 case-control, and 3 cross-sectional). The overall multivariable-adjusted RR demonstrated that the circulating selenium level was negatively associated with stroke (RR = 0.48, 95%CI: 0.24 to 0.94; p = 0.033), which was further confirmed in cross-sectional/case-control (RR = 0.24, 95%CI: 0.10 to 0.63; p = 0.003) and whole blood selenium (RR = 0.41, 95%CI: 0.26 to 0.65; p = 0.004) studies, rather than prospe

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Cohort Studies
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Prospective Studies
  • Selenium
  • Stroke

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: selenium

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09