**5.3 Cancer and cardiovascular disease**

Davis et al*.* [49] illustrated the correlation between selenium and cancer. Their studies showed that one of the factors that promote cancer is selenium deficiency. The authors discovered and reported that high selenium levels reduced the risk of cancer by 4–6 times when compared with low intake levels of selenium (<50 μg/mL). Populations with a status of very low selenium signified more protection against lung cancer [49]. Liver cancer was reduced by 30% in a community whose diet was enriched with selenite supplements [49]. In a Nutritional Prevention of Cancer trial, a daily intake of selenium (200 μg) for a period of 7 years lowered the occurrence of prostate cancer among the participants [50]. In a similar fashion, selenium anticancer potential was observed in rodents where the enzyme that converts selenomethione to methylselenol was 700 times higher in the rodents [49].
