Lee Swanson Research Update

Selenium Supplements May Reduce Hereditary Risk of Breast Cancer

November 2005

selenium

Women who are born with mutations of the BRCA1 gene face greatly increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, according to a study undertaken at the Centre for Research in Women’s Health at Toronto, Ontario, Canada. BRCA1 is a gene involved with the repair of DNA that has suffered breakage. When damaged, or mutated, BRCA1 genes can no longer provide protection by repairing DNA breakage.

The Toronto study looked at chromosome breaks in 26 women with the mutated BRCA1 gene (the so-called breast cancer gene) and 26 women without the mutated BRCA1 gene. Researchers found that women with the mutated BRCA1 gene had higher rates of chromosome damage, which could increase their risk of cancer.

Researchers also asked 35 other women with the mutated BRCA1 gene to take 280 mg of selenium daily for up to three months. With the selenium supplementation, chromosome damage in women with the mutated BRCA1 gene decreased to the levels of women without the mutated gene.

At the end of the study, scientists concluded that "oral selenium is a good candidate for chemoprevention in women who carry a mutation in the BRCA1 gene."

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 14(5):1302-1306, 2005

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