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Selenium-Enriched Soybean Extract Eases Fatty Diet Damage in Mice

A nano-selenium soybean extract improved cholesterol markers, liver enzymes and gut bacteria balance in mice fed a fatty diet.

By Dr. Axe Editorial Team · October 29, 2026 · 1 source · Watch

An enzymatic hydrolysate made from soybeans biofortified with nano-selenium eased diet-induced high cholesterol in mice, according to a study published October 19, 2026 in Food & Function.

Researchers fed Kunming mice a high-fat diet and gave one group a middle dose of EHNBS-30, an enzymatic hydrolysate made from soybeans grown to accumulate nano-selenium, rich in two organic selenium forms called SeMet and MeSeCys. Compared with high-fat-fed mice that did not get the extract, the treated mice had total cholesterol fall 9.49%, LDL cholesterol (the kind that builds up in arteries) fall 15.13%, and triglycerides (blood fats) fall 48.67%. HDL cholesterol, the kind that helps clear fat from the blood, rose 40.09%.

The treated mice also had higher liver levels of three antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity, along with lower blood levels of ALT, AST and ALP, markers that rise when the liver is under stress. The authors wrote that the extract restored the gut's community of microbes and their short-chain fatty acid byproducts, and that its cholesterol-lowering effect was linked to these shifts in gut bacteria.

Selenium is a mineral the body uses to build antioxidant enzymes that protect cells from damage, and organic forms like the ones in this extract are generally absorbed more efficiently than inorganic selenium. A high-fat diet taxes the liver and disrupts the balance of gut bacteria that help process fat and cholesterol; this study's authors proposed that restoring that bacterial balance is part of how the extract improved cholesterol numbers in these mice.

Cholesterol Changes in High-Fat Mice Given Selenium-Soybean Extract

Food & Function, 2026, Duan et al.

This was a mouse study using a processed soybean extract, not a selenium supplement or whole food, so the dose and form can't be translated directly to a human amount. Larger studies in people eating selenium-rich foods or using selenium forms like this one are the logical next step.

Dr. Axe’s Take

Selenium is one of the minerals I watch closest for liver and antioxidant support, and this mouse study fits why. Triglycerides dropped by nearly half and HDL jumped 40% on a diet designed to wreck lipid profiles. I would not translate a mouse dose into a supplement plan, but I would lean on real selenium food sources this week: Brazil nuts, sardines, eggs and sunflower seeds, paired with fiber-rich vegetables to feed the gut bacteria this study points to. Cutting back processed fats addresses the actual stressor the extract was fighting here.

— Dr. Axe

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Study summary

Who: High-fat diet-fed Kunming mice; healthy control and hyperlipidaemic model groups also studied.
Design: Animal study; mice given a medium dose of EHNBS-30, a selenium-enriched soybean hydrolysate, versus untreated high-fat-fed model mice.
Dose: Soybeans biofortified with 30 mg/L nano-selenium, processed into an enzymatic hydrolysate (EHNBS-30); medium dose used for primary results.
Primary result: vs. hyperlipidaemic model mice: total cholesterol down 9.49%, LDL-C down 15.13%, triglycerides down 48.67%, HDL-C up 40.09%.
Secondary: Liver antioxidant enzymes GSH-Px, SOD and T-AOC rose; liver damage markers ALT, AST and ALP fell; gut bacteria and short-chain fatty acid levels shifted toward a healthier pattern.
Funding / conflicts: Funder listed in the journal record: National Natural Science Foundation of China. Conflicts not reported in the abstract.
Date: Oct 19, 2026