 US
Medical Guide
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Selenium May Protect Against Viruses, Heart Disease,
Arthritis, Hepatitis, and Cancer
by Susan Turner, ND
Medical Writer
Ongoing research provides evidence that selenium, a natural mineral, may
protect against serious viral infections and stop the spread of resistant
and deadly viruses in addition to preventing and reducing cancer.
According to health writer and publisher Edith Gaylord, recent research
indicates that selenium stops viruses from mutating and becoming more potent.
"When deficient mice were injected with a flu virus," she
said, "the microbe's potency increased so much that they suffered from
viral symptoms more than three times longer than infected mice receiving
the selenium."
But she noted that it's not just the flu virus that may function like
this. Some scientists believe this is how E. bola, HIV, and similar viruses
become more powerful and grow resistant to drugs. In fact, a British researcher
suggests that low selenium levels may even be part of the reason mad cow
disease spread so quickly throughout Europe.
Selenium is a naturally occurring mineral with antioxidant powers -
and it used to be abundant in the soil. But, "pesticides and modern
farming methods have depleted as much as 80% of it. Supplementing
with it could protect you and your loved ones from fatal infections,”
said Gaylord.
In pointing out that there are numerous medical studies in-process around
the world, the conclusions of which are yet pending, or which require additional
study, Gaylord says the preliminary indications are very important in the
areas of heart, arthritis, HIV / AIDS, and, of course, cancer. She is dedicated
to public education regarding health matters and provides information in
the following examples:
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Selenium and heart disease. Some population surveys have indicated
an association between a lower antioxidant intake with a greater incidence
of heart disease. Additional lines of evidence suggest that oxidative stress
from free radicals may promote heart disease. For example, it is the oxidized
form of low-density lipoproteins (LDL, often called "bad" cholesterol)
that promotes plaque build-up in coronary arteries. Selenium is one of
a group of antioxidants that may help limit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol
and thereby helps to prevent coronary artery disease.
-
Selenium and arthritis. Surveys of patients with rheumatoid arthritis,
a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of function
in joints, have indicated that the victims have reduced selenium levels
in their blood. In addition, some individuals with arthritis have a low
selenium intake.
The body's immune system naturally makes free radicals that can help
destroy invading organisms and damaged tissue, but that can also harm healthy
tissue. Selenium, as an antioxidant, may help control levels of free radicals
and help to relieve symptoms of arthritis.
-
Selenium and HIV / AIDS. Vitamin and mineral absorption problems
associated with HIV / AIDS has been shown to deplete levels of many vital
nutrients. Selenium deficiency is commonly associated with HIV / AIDS.
Selenium deficiency has been associated with a high risk of death from
HIV / AIDS.
A study based on 24 children with HIV, who had been observed for
five years, reported that those with low selenium levels died at a younger
age. The study may have indicated accelerated disease progression . . .
Researchers believe that selenium may be important in HIV disease because
of its role in the immune system and as an antioxidant. Selenium also may
be needed for the replication of the HIV virus (the virus needs and uses
up selenium) and thereby could deplete the host's selenium or deny the
host adequate levels of selenium . . . Researchers see a need for clinical
trials that evaluate the effect of selenium supplementation on HIV disease
progression.
-
Selenium and Hepatitis. Selenium is seen to be essential for healthy
immune functioning. Supplementation has been shown, in some studies, to
reduce the incidence of hepatitis in observed deficient groups. In studies
of some non-deficient populations of elderly people, selenium supplementation
was found to stimulate the activity of white blood cells; white blood cells
are primary vital components of the immune system.
-
Selenium and Prostate Cancer. On August 22 1998, CNN's Elizabeth
Cohen reported that some 40,000 men die every year from prostate cancer,
but a new study . . . published by the National Cancer Institute, found
men who had the highest intakes of the mineral selenium cut their cancer
rates by one-half to two thirds compared to men with the lowest intakes
of selenium. "The notion that vitamins and minerals might prevent prostate
cancer is a particularly exciting thing," said Dr. Philip Taylor of the
National Cancer Institute.
In a study based on analysis of toe clippings to determine which subjects
had the most selenium in their diet, researchers found that subjects with
the most selenium in their diet developed 65% fewer cases of advanced prostate
cancer than did men with the lowest levels of selenium intake (analysis
of hair clippings and nail clippings is useful in certain analytical studies).
-
Selenium and Other Cancer. The traditional medical research on selenium
has continued and there is more and more evidence that dual source selenium
(designed to have a high impact on blood serum levels) is indeed one of
the most important and effective supplements to help prevent, treat, or
even reverse cancer.
In articles, December 24, 1996*, both the American Medical Journal
and CNN reported that “. . . selenium may lower several cancer risks.
The study was designed to look at selenium's effect on skin cancer, but
researchers found that while it made no measurable difference there, the
mineral did have effects on other types of cancers.
"It really looks like the longer you take the supplement, the
more effective it might be in preventing cancer," said University
of Arizona epidemiologist Larry Clark, MD, who led the study. Selenium
may work as an antioxidant, like vitamin E, to help prevent damage to genes
that can lead to cancer. The mineral is known to preserve the elasticity
of body tissues and is important for proper function of the immune system
. . . In the selenium group, there were 50 percent fewer cancer deaths
than in the placebo group, researchers reported in Wednesday's Journal
of the American Medical Association. But the researchers cautioned that
their results need to be replicated . . . The daily supplement pills used
by University of Arizona researchers contained 200 micrograms of selenium,
about three times the current recommended daily allowance. "It was still
within the limits of what the Food and Drug Administration considers safe
and adequate, Clark said.”
Another double-blind study that included over 1,300 people found
those given 200 mcg of yeast based selenium per day for 4.5 years had a
50% drop in the cancer death rate compared with the non-selenium-placebo
group.
-
Selenium and what it does. Selenium activates an antioxidant enzyme
(called glutathione peroxidase) which seems to help protect the body from
some types of cancer. Yeast derived forms of selenium have induced programmed
cancer cell death in test tube studies and in some animals.
-
Selenium, avoid high levels. One minor problem is that very high
levels of selenium can be harmful, causing nails and hair to become brittle
and can cause neurologic problems. An adult intake of 200 mcg of selenium
per day is recommended by many doctors. In the presence of iodine-deficiency-induced
goiter, selenium supplementation has been reported to exacerbate low thyroid
function Certain medications may interact with selenium so it would be
prudent discuss the use of selenium and your current medication(s) with
your doctor or pharmacist.
-
Selenium's food sources. According to the National Institutes
of Health, plant foods are the major dietary sources of selenium in most
countries throughout the world. The amount of selenium in soil, which varies
by region, determines the amount of selenium in the plant foods that are
grown in that soil. Researchers know that soils in the high plains of northern
Nebraska and the Dakotas have very high levels of selenium. People living
in those regions generally have the highest selenium intakes in the United
States. Soils in some parts of the world have very low amounts of selenium
and dietary selenium deficiency is often reported in those regions.
Selenium also can be found in some meats and seafood. Animals that
eat grains or plants that were grown in selenium rich soil have higher
levels of selenium in their muscle. In the United States, meats and bread
are common sources of dietary selenium. Some nuts, especially Brazil nuts
and walnuts, are good sources of selenium.
Notes: Correspondent Andrew Holtz and The Associated Press contributed
to this CNN article which can be found at http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9612/24/nfm/index.html,
and the Journal of the American Medical Association can be found in the
archives at http://jama.ama-assn.org/
This article is for information purposes only. Writers for the US
Medical Guide are not health care professionals, and do not diagnose, prescribe,
or medicate. Always consult a licensed health care professional regarding
your health.
©2002, 2008 US Medical Guide, Susan and Terry
Turner
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