Selenium is a mineral that's essential to human health. It's one of the more obscure nutrients, though, with many people not knowing much about it beyond the fact that it can help prevent certain cancers and heart disease. In this post, we'll explore the lesser-known benefits of selenium and why these may be even more important to your long-term health than its antioxidant functions.
Antioxidant properties
Selenium is an antioxidant mineral that helps prevent oxidative damage to cells, DNA, and proteins. Selenium also prevents oxidative damage to fats, cholesterol, and other cell components.
In addition to its antioxidant properties selenium can help prevent cell death by reducing the amount of free radicals in your body. Free radicals are unstable molecules that may cause damage within the cells of your body if they're not controlled by antioxidants like selenium or vitamin E (tocopherols).
Anti-cancer properties
Selenium is a potent antioxidant that can help prevent the spread of cancer or its recurrence. It may also reduce the side effects of cancer treatment and improve heart health.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), selenium has been shown in several studies to lower the risk for certain types of cancers, including prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers. In fact, one study found that men who took 200 micrograms per day had a 25 percent reduced risk for developing prostate cancer than those who didn't take supplements at all; another study showed that taking 200 micrograms per day reduced colorectal cancer risk by 21 percent among men who took them regularly over 10 years--but only if they started taking them before age 55!
Heart health benefits
Selenium is an important antioxidant. It helps to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent blood clots that can lead to heart attacks and strokes, improve immune function and reduce inflammation in your body.
Selenium also helps with several other health concerns:
- Cancer prevention - Selenium has been shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in studies with people who have had polyps removed from their colon (colonoscopy). It may also help prevent breast cancer or slow its growth by lowering estrogen levels in women who have had a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) but still have ovaries that produce hormones such as estrogen.
Pain relief
Selenium is an essential trace element that helps support many functions in the body. Selenium deficiency has been linked to infertility and miscarriages, so maintaining adequate selenium status during pregnancy is important. Breastfeeding also reduces selenium status in the mother, so maintaining an adequate intake of this mineral is important for new mothers as well as their babies.
Selenium can be found in many foods including some meats and nuts; however, it may be difficult to get enough from food alone if you want to achieve optimal health benefits from this mineral supplementing with a good-quality supplement might be necessary for some individuals depending on their dietary habits (1).
Selenium status in pregnancy and lactation
Selenium status in pregnancy and lactation
Pregnant women should get at least 70 micrograms per day, with the upper limit being 200 micrograms per day. Breastfed infants should get at least 50 micrograms per day, with an upper limit of 100 micrograms per day. Lactating women should also aim for these levels, which are thought to be sufficient to meet the needs of both mother and child.
Selenium is essential for thyroid function; therefore, deficiency may cause hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone) or hyperthyroidism (high thyroid hormone). Deficiencies have been linked to impaired growth and development in infants as well as other health problems such as mental retardation and neurological damage if left untreated over time.[1] Selenium deficiency has also been associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.[2]
Selenium has many beneficial functions.
Selenium is an important nutrient that has many beneficial functions. Selenium is a trace element, meaning it's found in small amounts in many foods and our bodies can't produce it on their own. It helps fight free radicals that damage cells, tissues, and DNA, which may lead to cancer or other diseases such as heart disease or Alzheimer's disease. Selenium also protects the heart by lowering cholesterol levels and fighting inflammation in blood vessels; this prevents plaque build-up that leads to blocked arteries (atherosclerosis).
Selenium supports immune system function by boosting white blood cell production so it can attack invaders like bacteria or viruses that cause infection or illness. It also plays an essential role in thyroid hormone production since iodine deficiency leads to hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland), which causes symptoms like fatigue, weight gain/loss due to fluid retention/weight loss respectively due to increased metabolism rate, etc...
Conclusion
It is clear that selenium has many beneficial functions. The most well-known of these is its antioxidant properties, which help protect against free radicals and oxidative stress. However, selenium also has anti-cancer, heart health, and pain relief benefits as well as important roles in pregnancy and lactation. This makes it an essential nutrient for good health--and one worth paying attention to!
