The Study
The interaction effect of dietary selenium intake and the IL10 rs1800871 polymorphism on the risk of colorectal cancer: a case–control study in Korea
This study looked at people who already had colon cancer and compared them to people who didn’t, asking them what they ate and checking their genes. It found that people who ate more selenium and had a certain gene version seemed less likely to get colon cancer—but that doesn’t mean selenium caused it. It just means those two things were linked in this group.
Analysis score
Maximum 58 for a case-control study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether eating more selenium-rich foods helps prevent colon cancer in Koreans, and whether your genes change how much it helps.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 555 / 100
Quality score
Researchers compare people who have a condition (cases) with similar people who do not (controls), looking back in time for differences in exposure. Useful but more prone to bias.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1For people with the right gene, eating more selenium could meaningfully lower their chance of getting colon cancer — but for others, it didn't help.
- 2People who ate the most selenium had 56% lower colon cancer risk overall.
- 3But this only happened if they had a specific gene version (G allele); those without it got no benefit.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
British Journal of Nutrition
Year
2024
Authors
T. Tran, Madhawa Gunathilake, Jeonghee Lee, Jae-Hwan Oh, H. Chang, D. Sohn, A. Shin, Jeongseon Kim
Related Content
Claims (4)
In humans, having too little or too much selenium in the body is linked to worse health outcomes.
People with a specific genetic variant (IL10 rs1800871 G allele) who consume more selenium through their diet have a lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to those with the AA genotype, based on observed statistical associations.
In Koreans, the IL10 rs1800871 G allele shows a 17% higher observed risk of colorectal cancer when no other factors are considered, but this link disappears when other health and lifestyle factors are accounted for, meaning the allele alone does not independently affect colorectal cancer risk.
In the Korean population, people who consume more selenium through their diet have a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to those who consume less selenium.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.