This micronutrient is involved in our endocrine, immune, and cardiovascular systems. Many proteins that carry out functions throughout our bodies need selenium to work. Selenium deficiency can cause nonspecific symptoms like fatigue and brain fog. But it also causes serious issues like infertility and may even amplify the effect of certain viruses if you get infected. Blood levels of selenium can be corrected through supplements or food sources.
Advertisement Roman Daily—Multivitamin for Men Our team of in-house doctors created Roman Daily to target common nutrition gaps in men with scientifically backed ingredients and dosages. Learn more. Baptista, R. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 8 5 , — Skeletal muscle disorders associated with selenium deficiency in humans.
Thyroid hormone signaling controls hair follicle stem cell function. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 26 7 , — Selenoproteins: Molecular Pathways and Physiological Roles. Physiological Reviews, 94 3 , — The Journal of Nutrition, 2. The role of selenium in human conception and pregnancy. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 29, 31— Plasma selenium is positively related to performance in neurological tasks assessing coordination and motor speed.
Movement Disorders, 25 12 , — Selenium Deficiency. International Journal of Endocrinology, , 1—9. See more. Related articles. It works as an antioxidant, especially when combined with vitamin E. Antioxidants like selenium help fight damaging particles in the body known as free radicals.
Free radicals can damage cell membranes and DNA, and may contribute to aging and health conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.
Selenium plays a role in thyroid function. Your immune system also needs selenium to work properly. People with conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis RA to certain types of cancer often have low levels of selenium. However, in most cases scientists are not sure whether low selenium levels are a cause or an effect of the disease. When researchers examined whether selenium had any effect on skin cancer, they found that people who took as little as mcg of selenium per day for more than 7 years had a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
More studies are needed to understand the meaning behind these findings. In the meantime, you should not take more than the daily recommended allowance of selenium without your doctor's supervision. If you are healthy and eat a well-balanced diet, you probably get enough selenium. You may have low levels of selenium if you:.
The evidence on taking selenium to treat heart disease is mixed. Scientists know that low levels of selenium can contribute to heart failure, and being deficient in selenium seems to make atherosclerosis worse. Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, happens when plaque builds up in arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Studies show that taking selenium supplements does not seem to have any effect on the progression of heart disease, nor does it protect against heart attack.
Selenium, combined with other antioxidants, including vitamin E and beta-carotene, may help lower LDL bad cholesterol levels. But selenium can also interact with cholesterol-lowering drugs, and make them less effective. If you have or are at risk for heart disease, talk to your doctor before taking selenium. Studies show that low levels of selenium are associated with a higher risk of cancer death.
Scientists are not sure how selenium affects this risk. But they have observed that people who live in parts of the world where the soil is rich in selenium have lower rates of cancer, possibly because there is more selenium in food.
In addition, people who have cancer often have low levels of selenium. For most types of cancer, selenium does not appear to have much effect. One early study looking at whether selenium reduced the risk of skin cancer found that, although it did not seem to affect skin cancer risk, people who took selenium lowered their risk of death from cancer overall.
However, later studies found that selenium does not seem to lower the risk of lung or esophageal cancer. Evidence is mixed on whether it protects against colorectal cancer.
Two studies suggest that mcg per day might help protect against colorectal cancer, but other studies do not show any benefit.
The best evidence suggests that if you have low levels of selenium, getting more selenium in your diet may lower your risk of prostate cancer. Taking a special kind of selenium-rich brewer's yeast, called selenized yeast, may also help. In one study of 1, people, those who took mcg of selenium as selenized yeast per day compared to those who took a placebo had two-thirds lower risk of developing prostate cancer during the 4. However, the men who got the benefit had low levels of selenium to start with.
The situation is even more complicated when it comes to skin cancer. Some early evidence led scientists to investigate whether selenium might protect against skin cancer. But a large trial found that taking daily selenium supplements actually increased the risk of squamous cell carcinoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.
Many studies suggest that the body needs selenium for the immune system to work properly. Selenium, along with other minerals, can help boost white blood cells, which improves the body's ability to fight illness and infection.
A few studies suggest that selenium might help prevent some infections, such as a bacterial skin infection that often occurs with lymphedema, and mycoplasma pneumonia. Immune Benefits. Selenium deficiency slows down the responsiveness of your immune system. Supplementing with this nutrient appears to improve the immune responsiveness of patients with immune-compromising conditions like AIDS, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C. Other Benefits.
Additionally, supplementing with selenium appears to improve the symptoms of asthma. Selenium is water-soluble , therefore it's processed quickly and most of it is excreted within 24 hours.
Seafood is the best source of natural selenium, but it's also present in brazil nuts, some dairy products and veg. Many grains and cereals are fortified with this mineral. Pregnant women should consume 60mcg, and lactating women should consume 70mcg.
B razil nuts - approximately 4g or 1 nut. Eggs - approximately 3 eggs. Brown rice - approximately g. Sunflower seeds - approximately g. Baked beans - approximately g. Dietary selenium is necessary for the formation of selenoproteins, which are antioxidant proteins that the body uses for a variety of purposes. For instance, these proteins may be able to fight cancer, protect your cardiovascular health, and even prevent neurological conditions.
Anti-cancer functions : Studies have noted that people who consume more selenium are less at risk of developing cancer. Cardiovascular function s: Selenium prevents fats in your body from oxidising, which helps reduce cardiovascular inflammation and prevent heart conditions. Thyroid functions: Selenium is almost as important for proper thyroid functioning as iodine.
Thyroid Issues. Selenium deficiency can cause reduced levels of thyroid hormone, which can result in hypothyroidism. Symptoms of this thyroid condition include weight gain, low energy levels, feeling cold, and mental fog. Fertility Issues. In women, selenium deficiency can cause miscarriages, and in men, deficiency in this mineral can cause lower sperm counts.
Immune Issues. Since selenium is involved in many critical immune functions, becoming deficient in this mineral could compromise your immune system.
From the moment you start taking selenium supplements, your body will begin the process of repairing the damage that deficiency in this mineral has caused. The Food and Nutrition Board FNB at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies recommends that healthy people age 14 years and older get 55 mcg of selenium daily from all sources. The recommendation goes up to 60 mcg per day if you're pregnant and 70 mcg per day if you're breastfeeding.
You can safely take in up to mcg per day between food and supplements. There are two forms of selenium: organic selenomethionine and selenocysteine and inorganic selenate and selenite. Foods that are good sources of selenium include:. Selenium can be found in supplements either alone or in combination formulas in multivitamins. Due to its overall effects in the body, research is being conducted on whether or not selenium supplementation may affect glucose metabolism, as well as help prevent cancer, thyroid disease, heart disease, and the cognitive decline that occurs as we age.
While low levels of selenium are a concern, high levels can result in selenium toxicity over time. In particular, be careful with Brazil nuts; because they contain so much selenium—as much as 90 mcg per nut—you can actually trigger selenium toxicity by eating them too often. Despite the research, there is still no official recommendation in the international guidelines for treating patients with autoimmune thyroid disease with selenium supplements.
For those with thyroid disease and low selenium levels, supplementation can be beneficial, but for those whose selenium levels are normal to high, supplementation could potentially result in toxicity.
Before you consider adding handfuls of Brazil nuts to your diet or taking selenium supplements, you should have your selenium levels evaluated by your healthcare provider. They can then offer guidance on whether you might benefit from increasing your dietary selenium or adding supplements.
Keep in mind that if you choose to supplement with selenium, you should calculate your dietary intake, and be sure to count any selenium in multivitamins and supplements so that your daily intake doesn't exceed the mcg daily recommended upper intake level. Losing weight with thyroid disease can be a struggle. Our thyroid-friendly meal plan can help. Sign up and get yours free! Selenium and thyroid disease: From pathophysiology to treatment.
International Journal of Endocrinology. Selenium and selenoproteins in immune mediated thyroid disorders.
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