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# Selenium may protect against advanced prostate cancer
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/selenium_advanced_prostate_cancer_0726131116/
- Published: 2013-07-27T00:16:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:09:54.000Z
- Description: In the Netherlands Cohort Study, men with the highest toenail selenium were 63% less likely to have advanced prostate cancer and 70% less likely to have stage IV disease than men with the lowest, across 17.3 years of follow-up of 58,279 men.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Minerals, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Friday July 26, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that eating foods high in selenium or taking selenium supplements may help prevent advanced prostate cancer - the lethal prostate cancer.

Piet A. van den Brandt, PhD from Maastricht University in Maastricht, the Netherlands and colleagues conducted the study and found men who had high selenium in their toenails were 63% less likely to have advanced prostate cancer, compared with those who had the lowest levels.

The toenal selenium level indicates long term intake of selenium, an antioxidant. Early research shows that selenium may prevent advanced prostate cancer, according to the researchers.

For the current study, the researchers analyzed data from 58, 279 men aged 55 to 69 years at baseline in 1986, who were enrolled in the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study. During 17.3 years of follow-up, 898 cases of advanced prostate cancer and 1176 subcohort members provided toenail samples for selenium analysis.

In addition to the finding that high toenail selenium was associated with lower risk of advanced prostate cancer, those who had the highest toenail selenium were also found 70% less likely to develop stage IV prostate cancer.

In most cases, prostate cancer progresses very slowly, but some can become advanced prostate cancer and kill the patients. (reporting by Jimmy Downs)