The Study
Serum Selenium Status in Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders: A Case-control Study
This study looked at people who already had thyroid problems and compared their selenium levels to healthy people. It found that those with thyroid issues tended to have less selenium, but it doesn't prove that low selenium made them sick — maybe being sick made their selenium drop. It's like noticing people with broken legs often carry crutches — but crutches don't cause broken legs.
Analysis score
Maximum 58 for a case-control study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at people with thyroid autoimmune diseases and found they often had much less selenium in their blood than healthy people.
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 550 / 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.
- 1Yes — having very low selenium was linked to a much higher chance of having an autoimmune thyroid problem, even if the person was hypothyroid or hyperthyroid.
- 2People with autoimmune thyroid disease had selenium levels of 0.088 μg/mL on average, while healthy people had 0.12 μg/mL.
- 3Those with low selenium were 8.6 times more likely to have the disease.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH
Year
2025
Authors
Ceema Varghese, B. Vijayalakshmi, V. Paul, JK Mukkadan, KC Thresiamma
Related Content
Claims (7)
People with lower levels of selenium in their bodies have a higher likelihood of developing autoimmune responses, which involve the immune system reacting against the body's own tissues.
People with autoimmune thyroid disease tend to have lower levels of selenium in their blood, whether their thyroid is underactive or overactive. This suggests the low selenium levels are linked to the autoimmune condition itself, not to whether the thyroid is producing too much or too little hormone.
People with lower levels of selenium in their blood are more likely to have autoimmune thyroid disease than those with normal selenium levels, according to a study of 134 individuals in India.
In a study of people from India, 20.9% of those with autoimmune thyroid disease had low selenium levels, compared to only 2.99% of people without the disease.
People with autoimmune thyroid disease who have low selenium levels tend to have higher levels of certain antibodies that target the thyroid, compared to those with normal selenium levels.
During the production of thyroid hormones, hydrogen peroxide is generated and then removed by glutathione, a molecule that depends on selenium to function properly.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.