A particular form of selenium, called selenide, could have the capacity to reduce cardiac damage by nearly 90 percent and improve heart function if administered during a heart attack, one study finds.

The mineral selenium is regarded as an essential element that is required for sustaining the health of tissues such as heart muscle, and selenium deficiency is associated with heart disease.

A Seattle research team performed an experiment that used mice to determine what occurred during a heart attack when they administered selenide intravenously.

During a heart attack, the blood supply to the heart is blocked or restricted, causing a condition called ischemia, in which cardiac tissue becomes starved of vital oxygen.

Ischemia can lead to irreversible damage to the heart in as little as three or four minutes.

To see the effect of selenide, the researchers induced blood flow blockage in the coronary arteries of mice, but administered selenide just prior to restoring blood flow.

They found that the treatment reduced heart damage by 88 percent.

In addition, they found that the mice that received the selenide experienced statistically improved heart function.

In the 1970s it was discovered that a large region of China produced food grown in selenium-deficient soil.

As a result, tens of thousands of residents, including many children, suffered from selenium deficiency and heart disease.