Positive Health Online

Abstract

YU and colleagues, School of Public Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei Taiwan write that experimental and epidemiological research has linked a low dietary selenium intake with increased cancer risk . The authors studied the association between plasma selenium levels and risk of liver cancer in chronic carriers of hepatitis B and/or C virus .

Background

Methodology

7,342 men from Taiwan were recruited during 1988-92. Blood was drawn and the men were interviewed. After follow-up for an average of 5.3 years, plasma selenium levels were measured using hydride atomic absorption spectrometry for 69 incident HCC men positive for hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C and for 139 matched, healthy controls, positive for hepatitis C viral antigens

Results

Mean selenium levels were significantly lower in the liver cancer cases than in the hepatitis-positive controls . The adjusted odds ratios of liver cancer for men in increasing quintiles of plasma selenium were 1.00, 0.52, 0.32, 0.19 and 0.62 respectively. The inverse association between plasma selenium levels and liver cancer was most notable in cigarette smokers and in men with low plasma levels of vitamin A and various carotenoids. There was no clear evidence for an interaction between selenium and vitamin E regarding liver cancer risk.

Conclusion

There is an inverse association between plasma selenium levels and risk of liver cancer in men, particularly smokers .

References

Yu MW et al. Plasma selenium levels and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among men with chronic hepatitis virus infection. American Journal of Epidemiology 150(4): 367-74. 15 Aug 1999.