Association Between Deficient Selenium Levels And Myocardial Infarction: A Meta-Analysis

There are conflicting reports as to the correlation between selenium (Se) levels and myocardial infarction (MI). The aim of this study is to clarify the relationship between serum Se levels and MI using a meta-analysis approach. We searched related articles in the Pubmed, and Science direct published as of October 2015. Seven eligible articles with 920 subjects from 12 case-control studies were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, pooled analysis indicated that subjects with MI had lower serum Se levels than healthy controls (SMD = -6.120, 95% CI = [-7.770, -4.471], P < 0.001). Further subgroup analysis found that subjects with MI had lower serum Se levels than healthy controls among the population in Asia (SMD = -10.168, 95% CI = [-14.698, -5.637], P < 0.001), but not similar pattern was found in Europe (SMD = -1.259, 95% CI = [-2.521, 0.003], P = 0.051). In conclusion, this meta-analysis indicates that there is a significant relationship serum Se deficiency and MI. We suggest that a long-term observation in a cohort design should be performed to obtain better understanding of causal relationships between Se and MI, through measuring Se at baseline to investigate whether the highest Se category versus lowest was associated with MI risk.