Why is Selenium So Important For Your Health?

Selenium is considered a micronutrient, since we only need it in small amounts, but do we ever need it!

Foods that are high in selenium include; Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds and garlic. But the amount of the selenium that you get from these sources can vary greatly, depending on the selenium concentration in the soil that they are grown in. Selenium can also be found in water and can be obtained by eating seafood.

It's estimated that 0.5 to 1 billion people worldwide suffer from selenium deficiency, while even more consume less selenium than is necessary to provide protection against cancer and severe infectious diseases.

Your body has only a small requirement for selenium. The minimum daily recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for this mineral is 55 micrograms (mcg) for adults. This means that you only need about a gram of selenium, in total every 50 years!

Even though selenium is vital, this is one nutrient that you don't want too much. I remember one case where someone was murdered. The murder weapon was selenium, being poisoned with selenium over a period of time.

While small amounts provide important benefits, taking too much, for example over 400 mcg/day, can potentially increase your risk of diabetes. Unless you are taking a high dose of supplements, it is difficult to "overdose" on selenium from your diet.

If you eat primarily a processed-food diet, you have a significant risk of having a selenium deficiency, since the naturally occurring selenium in processed out of the food.

Selenium acts as a powerful antioxidant, especially when working synergistically with vitamin E.

Selenium's Antioxidant Effects May Help Prevent Chronic Disease:

Selenium plays an important role in preventing chronic diseases, as well as being important for thyroid and immune system function.

Low Selenium Levels May Also Increase Your Cancer Risk:

Low selenium levels are linked with an increased risk of death from cancer and all causes.

In 2015, research published in the International Journal of Cancer, revealed that higher selenium levels are linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer, particularly in women. The study also found that selenium status is suboptimal in many Europeans.

In 2016, a meta-analysis of 69 studies also found that a good selenium intake from food, had a protective effect on cancer risk and decreased the risk of the following types of cancer:

• Breast
• Lung
• Esophageal
• Gastric
• Prostate

Some of the scientific explanations for selenium's anti-cancer effects include:

• Increased antioxidant protection and immune system support
• Regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis (programmed cell death)
• Triggering DNA repair in damaged cells
• Suppression of growth of blood vessels supplying nutrients to the cancer
• Inhibition of tumor cell invasion

You may also have low levels of selenium if you smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, have had weight loss surgery, have Crohn's disease or have ulcerative colitis.

If you choose to take a selenium supplement for health maintenance, you should use it in a high-quality bioavailable form, in a low dose up to 200 mcg/day.

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