A prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was published in the International Journal of Cardiology. 2013;167(5):1860–1866. Subjects of the study were 443 Swedes between the ages of 70 and 88. They were given either a placebo or a combination of selenium and CoQ10. They were examined every six months, and given echocardiograms over the five year course of the study. The group taking the supplements had a significant reduction of death from cardiovascular disease and overall better cardiac function than the placebo group.
A follow-up study from the same Swedish research group found that the people taking selenium and CoQ10 still had better heart outcomes even many years after they stopped the supplements. This suggests the combination may help support long-term heart health — especially in older adults who have low selenium levels to begin with.
