Selenium Status in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#antioxidants #humans #liver-diseases #observational-studies-as-topic #prospective-studies

Selenium Status in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lin et al., 2022 | Nutrients | Meta Analysis

Citation

Lin Yaduan, He Fanchen, ... Liu Chaoqun. Selenium Status in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2022-Feb-23;14(5). doi:10.3390/nu14050952

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The potential role of selenium in preventing chronic liver diseases remains controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to summarize the available evidence from observational studies and intervention trials that had evaluated the associations between body selenium status and chronic liver diseases. METHODS: We comprehensively searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception to April 2021. The study protocol was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42020210144). Relative risks (RR) for the highest versus the lowest level of selenium and standard mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using random-effects models. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated using the I2 statistic and Egger's regression test, respectively. RESULTS: There were 50 studies with 9875 cases and 12975 population controls in the final analysis. Patients with hepatitis (SMD = -1.78, 95% CI: -2.22 to -1.34), liver cirrhosis (SMD = -2.06, 95% CI: -2.48 to -1.63), and liver cancer (SMD = -2.71, 95% CI: -3.31 to -2.11) had significantly lower selenium levels than controls, whereas there was no significant difference in patients with fatty liver diseases (SMD = 1.06, 95% CI: -1.78 to 3.89). Moreover, the meta-analysis showed that a higher selenium level was significantly associated with a 41% decrease in the incidence of significant advanced chronic liver diseases (RR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.72). CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis suggested that both body selenium status and selenium intake were negatively associated with hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. However, the associations for fatty liver diseases were conflicting and need to be established in prospective trials.

Key Findings

There were 50 studies with 9875 cases and 12975 population controls in the final analysis. Patients with hepatitis (SMD = -1.78, 95% CI: -2.22 to -1.34), liver cirrhosis (SMD = -2.06, 95% CI: -2.48 to -1.63), and liver cancer (SMD = -2.71, 95% CI: -3.31 to -2.11) had significantly lower selenium levels than controls, whereas there was no significant difference in patients with fatty liver diseases (SMD = 1.06, 95% CI: -1.78 to 3.89). Moreover, the meta-analysis showed that a higher selenium leve

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population hepatitis
Sample Size 50
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Antioxidants
  • Humans
  • Liver Diseases
  • Observational Studies as Topic
  • Prospective Studies
  • Selenium

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
  • Vertical: selenium

Provenance

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