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Study summary · Cardiovascular & vascular aging

Does long-term supplementation with combined selenium and coenzyme Q10 prevent telomere attrition and reduce cardiovascular mortality in elderly individuals with low selenium levels?

In one paragraph

Selenium, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Nutrients 2022, PMID 36014852) — at 42 months, the active treatment group showed less shortening of LTL (+0.019) compared to the placebo group (-0.129), a significant difference (p = 0.02). Scope: over 4 years, and the abstract states no limitations.

Source: Nutrients 2022, PMID 36014852 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium

Nutrients · 2022 · PMID 36014852 · DOI 10.3390/nu14163346

Plain-English summary written and published by Magellan Longevity · medical review by Gabriel Radu, DO (physiatrist, NPI 1376861765). We summarize what the paper reported — we did not run this study.

The takeaway

Selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation may help preserve telomere length and reduce cardiovascular mortality in older adults with low selenium.

The question

Does long-term supplementation with combined selenium and coenzyme Q10 prevent telomere attrition and reduce cardiovascular mortality in elderly individuals with low selenium levels?

What they tested

The study aimed to determine if selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation could prevent telomere shortening and decrease cardiovascular mortality.

How they did it

This was an explorative sub-study of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. 118 Swedish citizens aged 70-80 years with low selenium levels were included. Participants received either active treatment (selenium and coenzyme Q10) or placebo for 4 years, with a 10-year follow-up. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was measured at baseline and after 42 months using PCR.

What they found

At 42 months, the active treatment group showed less shortening of LTL (+0.019) compared to the placebo group (-0.129), a significant difference (p = 0.02). Analyzing individual changes in LTL also showed a significant difference (p < 0.001). Subjects who died later had significantly shorter LTL at 42 months (0.791) than survivors (0.941) (p = 0.01), and there was a significant difference in LTL change based on cardiovascular mortality (p = 0.03).

Change in Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL) at 42 Months
Values shown: Change in LTL
Active Treatment0.019
Placebo-0.129

Change in leukocyte telomere length (LTL) after 42 months of active treatment (selenium and coenzyme Q10) versus placebo.

What it means

Supplementation with selenium and coenzyme Q10 was associated with the preservation of leukocyte telomere length, which in turn was associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality.

Limitations

The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the study.

Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.

“preservation of telomere length after selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality”— from the published abstract, Nutrients 2022

The paper at a glance

TitleSelenium and Coenzyme Q Intervention Prevents Telomere Attrition, with Association to Reduced Cardiovascular Mortality
JournalNutrients
Year2022
PMID36014852 ↗
DOI10.3390/nu14163346 ↗
TopicCardiovascular & vascular aging

Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗

Molecules & mechanisms in this paper

Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.

TelomeresCoenzyme Q10

Cite this page

These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.

APA
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Does long-term supplementation with combined selenium and coenzyme Q10 prevent telomere attrition and reduce cardiovascular mortality in elderly individuals with low selenium levels? [Plain-English summary of Nutrients 2022, PMID 36014852, DOI 10.3390/nu14163346]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d36014852.html
BibTeX
@misc{magellan_d36014852, title = {Does long-term supplementation with combined selenium and coenzyme Q10 prevent telomere attrition and reduce cardiovascular mortality in elderly individuals with low selenium levels?}, author = {{Magellan Longevity}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d36014852.html}}, note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 36014852; DOI 10.3390/nu14163346; Nutrients 2022. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO}, urldate = {2026-08-11} }
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How this summary was made. Every section above restates what the published abstract of PMID 36014852 reports — the question, the design, the numbers, the authors’ own conclusion and their stated limitations. We do not add claims the paper did not make, and we keep negative and no-effect findings in. Magellan’s evidence grades are set from research like this and never from affiliate commissions.

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Educational information, not medical advice. This is a plain-English summary of published research; it is not a treatment recommendation and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual studies can be wrong, and a single paper rarely settles a question. Talk to your physician before acting on any research, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.