SELENIUM
Q What is selenium?
A Selenium is one of the trace minerals essential for human health. It is closely related chemically to sulphur, another essential nutrient, but is needed in much smaller amounts.
Q What role does selenium play in the body?
A Like vitamins E and C, and beta-carotene, selenium acts as an antioxidant. It is essential for the formation of an enzyme, glutathione peroxides, which is known to have powerful antioxidant properties. In studies, selenium appears to help prevent some types of cancer and heart disease, to boost the body's infection-fighting abilities, to detoxify potential cancer-causing heavy metals (such as mercury and cadmium) and to dampen inflammation, making it a potential help in the fight against chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis,
Q. What can you tell me about selenium and cancer?
A. A number of studies now show that cancer rates go up when intakes of selenium go down. In fact, around the world, cancer rates seem to be inversely proportional to the amount of selenium in the soil. In more than 20 countries the findings are the same; the lower the selenium intake, the higher the incidence of leukemia and cancers of the colon, rectum, pancreas, breast, ovary, prostate, bladder, skin and, in men, lungs.
Q. And what about heart disease? How does selenium?
Here again, as with vitamins E and C, selenium acts as an antioxidant to help prevent the buildup of artery-clogging fats and accompanying damage to the blood vessel walls. A number of studies also suggest that selenium, especially in combination with vitamin E, may protect against tissue damage related to restricted blood flow.
In addition to this, selenium, like vitamin E, has the ability to inhibit blood-cell clumping, also known as platelet aggregation.
Q. You said selenium boosts the body's infection-fighting abilities. How does it do that?
A. Exactly how selenium enhances immune function remains unclear. As with other antioxidants, however, it appears to help protect white blood cells from free radicals they generate in the process of fighting infection. For instance, selenium protects one type of white blood cell, macrophages, against the free radicals they generate and need in order to destroy bacteria they have engulfed.
Q. How does selenium protect against heavy-metal poisoning?
A. Here again, the precise mechanism is not known, but it is thought to combine with the metal and become a harmless compound.
Q. You said selenium might help inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis. Any studies showing it does so?
A Unfortunately, reports on its use for this and other conditions is mostly anecdotal. However, inject able and oral selenium/vitamin E preparations are used, with allegedly good results, tn veterinarian practices to relieve arthritis inflammation in dogs and other animals.
Q Do most people get enough selenium in their diets?
A Dietary surveys indicate that most people get about the RNI of selenium. However, evidence seems to indicate that amounts larger than the RN! are required for protection against cancer and heart’ disease. For that reason, some researchers recommend supplementing your diet with 50 to 200 mcg selenium a day.
SELENIUM
QUICK-REFERENCE GUIDE
RNI
Men: 70 meg Women: 55 meg
Sources
Broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, onions, garlic, radishes, brewer's yeast, grains, fish and organ meats.
Signs of Deficiency
Muscle pain and wasting, heart problems. In parts of China where deficiency results from selenium-poor soil, a form of heart disease develops. It includes heart enlargement, fast rhythm and, in severe cases, heart failure and death.
Risks for Deficiency
Intravenous or tube feeding
Possible Toxicity Problems
The level of dietary selenium which causes chronic poisoning is not known with certainty. However, 5 mg a day from foods results in fingernail changes and hair loss. One man taking 1,000 meg (I mg) a day for a year and a half developed damaged fingernails and 'garlic breath'. The early signs of selenium toxicity include fatigue, irritability and dry hair. Workers, such as miners, exposed to high amounts of selenium develop garlic breath, dry skin and hair and brittle nails, nausea, vomiting and nervous-system problems, such as unusual or diminished sensations or paralysis.
A Selenium is one of the trace minerals essential for human health. It is closely related chemically to sulphur, another essential nutrient, but is needed in much smaller amounts.
Q What role does selenium play in the body?
A Like vitamins E and C, and beta-carotene, selenium acts as an antioxidant. It is essential for the formation of an enzyme, glutathione peroxides, which is known to have powerful antioxidant properties. In studies, selenium appears to help prevent some types of cancer and heart disease, to boost the body's infection-fighting abilities, to detoxify potential cancer-causing heavy metals (such as mercury and cadmium) and to dampen inflammation, making it a potential help in the fight against chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis,
Q. What can you tell me about selenium and cancer?
A. A number of studies now show that cancer rates go up when intakes of selenium go down. In fact, around the world, cancer rates seem to be inversely proportional to the amount of selenium in the soil. In more than 20 countries the findings are the same; the lower the selenium intake, the higher the incidence of leukemia and cancers of the colon, rectum, pancreas, breast, ovary, prostate, bladder, skin and, in men, lungs.
Q. And what about heart disease? How does selenium?
Here again, as with vitamins E and C, selenium acts as an antioxidant to help prevent the buildup of artery-clogging fats and accompanying damage to the blood vessel walls. A number of studies also suggest that selenium, especially in combination with vitamin E, may protect against tissue damage related to restricted blood flow.
In addition to this, selenium, like vitamin E, has the ability to inhibit blood-cell clumping, also known as platelet aggregation.
Q. You said selenium boosts the body's infection-fighting abilities. How does it do that?
A. Exactly how selenium enhances immune function remains unclear. As with other antioxidants, however, it appears to help protect white blood cells from free radicals they generate in the process of fighting infection. For instance, selenium protects one type of white blood cell, macrophages, against the free radicals they generate and need in order to destroy bacteria they have engulfed.
Q. How does selenium protect against heavy-metal poisoning?
A. Here again, the precise mechanism is not known, but it is thought to combine with the metal and become a harmless compound.
Q. You said selenium might help inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis. Any studies showing it does so?
A Unfortunately, reports on its use for this and other conditions is mostly anecdotal. However, inject able and oral selenium/vitamin E preparations are used, with allegedly good results, tn veterinarian practices to relieve arthritis inflammation in dogs and other animals.
Q Do most people get enough selenium in their diets?
A Dietary surveys indicate that most people get about the RNI of selenium. However, evidence seems to indicate that amounts larger than the RN! are required for protection against cancer and heart’ disease. For that reason, some researchers recommend supplementing your diet with 50 to 200 mcg selenium a day.
SELENIUM
QUICK-REFERENCE GUIDE
RNI
Men: 70 meg Women: 55 meg
Sources
Broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, onions, garlic, radishes, brewer's yeast, grains, fish and organ meats.
Signs of Deficiency
Muscle pain and wasting, heart problems. In parts of China where deficiency results from selenium-poor soil, a form of heart disease develops. It includes heart enlargement, fast rhythm and, in severe cases, heart failure and death.
Risks for Deficiency
Intravenous or tube feeding
Possible Toxicity Problems
The level of dietary selenium which causes chronic poisoning is not known with certainty. However, 5 mg a day from foods results in fingernail changes and hair loss. One man taking 1,000 meg (I mg) a day for a year and a half developed damaged fingernails and 'garlic breath'. The early signs of selenium toxicity include fatigue, irritability and dry hair. Workers, such as miners, exposed to high amounts of selenium develop garlic breath, dry skin and hair and brittle nails, nausea, vomiting and nervous-system problems, such as unusual or diminished sensations or paralysis.
