Benefits of Selenium:
Trace Mineral and Antioxidant Booster

Selenium is actually a mineral, not an antioxidant. However, it works as an invaluable partner with all the members of network antioxidants to enhance their benefits and allow them to perform functions that they could not do on their own. It's also an essential component of two important antioxidant enzymes that are manufactured by your body, glutathione peroxidase, which recycles glutathione; and thioredoxin, which recycles vitamin C.

Benefits of Selenium: Heart Disease Prevention

There are two primary ways that selenium acts to prevent heart disease. First, it is needed for the body to manufacture the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase. This enzyme's principal job is to stop lipid peroxidation, especially in LDL cholesterol.

It's the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (the so-called bad cholesterol), not your blood level, that causes your arteries to clog. If you're getting a sufficient supply of selenium, along with the right antioxidants, this process will likely never happen.

Secondly, this trace mineral has a very complementary relationship with vitamin E, your body's primary fat-soluble antioxidant, and the vitamin most responsible for preventing heart disease. In combination, these two nutrients are even more powerful in their ability to prevent heart disease than either of them by themselves.

Benefits of Selenium: Cancer Prevention

Selenium seems to protect against many types of cancers, including lung, prostate and colon cancer. There are numerous studies that have linked low levels in the body with higher rates of cancer. Much of the scientific literature on this trace mineral demonstrates its ability to accelerate the destruction of tumor cells.

The antioxidant network works together. Given what is known about the antioxidant network, it is unlikely that selenium alone is responsible for the reduction in cancer rates in these studies. More likely, it may be because it is necessary for the production of enzymes needed to produce glutathione, which in turn recycles vitamin C, which in turn recycles vitamin E. Together, the cancer protection is more powerful than any of its individual components could produce. This is yet another example of how the network antioxidants work together.

The use of this mineral during chemotherapy, in combination with vitamin A and vitamin E, has been shown to reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs and help enhance the effectiveness of the chemotherapy while minimizing damage to the patient's normal cells.

Selenium is an important nutrient in the prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration. The primary cause of these diseases is lipid peroxidation in the eye. Blood profiles of people suffering from macular degeneration show low levels of selenium and glutathione, but high levels of oxidized glutathione. Ginkgo biloba, lutein, zeaxanthin, and bilberry are also valuable supplements in the prevention against macular degeneration.

Benefits of Selenium: Treatment of AIDS

AIDS patients all share a common link: they are extremely deficient in both glutathione and selenium. Low levels of these nutrients can place AIDS patients under extreme oxidative stress, which will only weaken their immune function further. AIDS patients with the lowest levels of glutathione have the highest mortality rate. Supplementing with selenium, as well as alpha-lipoic acid and the amino acid N-acetyl-cysteine, is the best way to increase your level of glutathione.

Other Significant Benefits of Selenium

Together with vitamin E, selenium strengthens your immune system, thyroid, liver and pancreas. Together with zinc, it reduces enlarged prostates and may offer some fertility benefits.

Selenium also binds very well with mercury, and can neutralize its toxic effects, especially in the brain.

In addition, this incredible little powerhouse has been shown to play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of the following diseases:

• acne
• asthma
• multiple sclerosis
• ovarian cysts
• parkinson's disease
• gum disease
• psoriasis
• rheumatoid arthritis
• sudden infant death syndrome

Best Food Sources of Selenium

There are some good dietary sources of selenium: egg yolks, seafood, poultry, beef and whole grains contain the highest amounts. Vegetarians don't have many decent choices — garlic, onions, mushrooms and seeds have modest amounts. Brazil nuts are the most concentrated food source, containing about 70-110 micrograms per nut. Just 3 or 4 Brazil nuts a day would supply you with a ample daily amount.

Selenium content in soil varies widely. The concentration of selenium in soil varies by region, so the amounts you're getting in your food will vary depending on where it was grown or where the animals were raised.

Studies have shown that people living in areas with a low selenium content in the soil have three times of rate of heart disease than average. People who live in areas where the soil has high levels, on the other hand, have the lowest rates of heart disease. This correlation holds up anywhere in the world that it has been studied, which led scientists to look for an explanation.

Brazil nuts are the most concentrated food source of selenium, featuring about 70-110 micrograms per nut. You could get your daily requirement of selenium by eating a 2 or 3 Brazil nuts every day.

The richest food sources of selenium are listed below. Use the numbers only to compare relative values, since actual selenium content varies widely, depending on soil content.

• Brazil nuts, 1 oz. — 540mcg.
• Tuna, 3 oz. — 63mcg.
• Snapper, 3 oz. — 40mcg.
• Salmon, 3 oz. — 40mcg.
• Turkey or chicken, 3 oz. — 32mcg.
• Chuck Roast, 3 oz. — 23mcg.
• Egg, 1 medium — 14mcg.
• Cottage cheese, 1/2 cup — 12mcg.
• Oatmeal, fortified, 1 cup — 12mcg.
• Rice, brown, 1/2 cup — 10mcg.

To guarantee that you're getting sufficient amounts in your diet, eating Brazil nuts, or using a 200mcg. supplement daily, is your best bet. Many good multivitamins have this amount of selenium in them. This trace mineral, although needed in very small amounts, is too important to miss out on.

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