Selenium may improve blood pressure on a high-fat diet

High blood pressure is a critical factor in cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and premature death. As more and more people develop high blood pressure, and diet plays a crucial role, greater emphasis should be placed on prevention and treatment. A higher selenium intake also appears to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and its harmful consequences when the diet contains too many unhealthy fats. This is shown in a Chinese study published in Frontiers in Nutrition.

The number of people with high blood pressure is rising alarmingly, especially in low- and middle-income populations. Many people have high blood pressure without knowing it, and treatments are often inadequate or associated with various side effects. Greater focus should therefore be placed on identifying and treating the underlying causes of high blood pressure.
It is well known that diet plays a crucial role, including the type of fats consumed. Although saturated animal fat has been discouraged for years, newer research suggests that the increasing intake of industrially processed seed oils high in omega-6 fatty acids and trans fats may be particularly harmful to health. One reason is that these fatty acids promote chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, in which free radicals damage cells and tissues involved in circulation, heart health, and blood pressure regulation.
It is also well established that the trace element selenium acts as a powerful antioxidant that may counteract the damage caused by chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
Nevertheless, it has remained unclear whether selenium intake is linked to the effect of dietary fat intake on high blood pressure. The new Chinese study therefore aimed to investigate this relationship in greater detail.

Higher selenium intake with a high-fat diet reduces the risk of high blood pressure

The researchers used data from a large population study called the China Health and Nutrition Survey. The study included 5,643 adult participants who did not have high blood pressure at baseline. Participants’ intake of total fat, selenium, sodium, and potassium was calculated using a specialized dietary assessment model. Fat and selenium intake were further divided into two sets of three groups/tertiles (T1–3), according to how much fat and selenium people consumed through their diet. In addition, participants had their blood pressure measured several times.
During the seven-year follow-up period, 1,722 of the 5,643 participants developed high blood pressure, which represents an alarmingly high percentage. After adjusting for various confounding factors such as age, BMI, smoking and alcohol habits, and physical activity, the study revealed the following:

• The group of participants with the highest fat intake had a significantly greater overall risk of developing high blood pressure compared with the group consuming the least fat.
• The risk of high blood pressure appeared to increase particularly with a high fat intake when selenium intake was low (T1) and below 50 micrograms per day
• A high fat intake combined with a high selenium intake (T2–3), above 50 micrograms per day, did not appear to increase the risk of high blood pressure.

The researchers therefore concluded that a higher selenium intake may counteract the harmful relationship between a high fat intake and the risk of developing high blood pressure.

Link between widespread low selenium intake and high blood pressure

The new Chinese study is consistent with an earlier large population study, also published in Frontiers in Nutrition. In this study, the researchers concluded that an intake of more than 100 micrograms of selenium per day may be necessary to achieve optimal effects against high blood pressure. This dose is considerably higher than the official recommended daily intake (RI) of 55 micrograms. Average selenium intake in Europe is below 55 micrograms, mainly due to selenium-poor soil and changing eating habits with lower consumption of fish and organ meats. You can read more about selenium’s positive effects on blood pressure and circulation in the following article. 

• Selenium has a positive impact on blood pressure and circulation

References:

Jia-Min Yan. Selenium intake modifies the association of dietary fat with hypertension among Chinese adults: a cohort study. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2026

Yilin Wu, Zongliang Yu. Association between dietary selenium intake and the prevalence of hypertension: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2018. Frontiers in Immunology. 2024

Timothy H Ciesielski. Global Access to Uncontaminated Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Requires Attention. AJPM Focus. 2025