Increasing your blood selenium levels by 50% can cut your heart disease risk by 24%. This mineral is in many foods we eat each day. It powers our health by boosting immunity and fighting off cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Selenium isn’t as famous as other nutrients like calcium or vitamin C. But, it’s really important for our well-being. Even though we only need a little bit, it supports our metabolism, our immune system, and keeps our thyroid healthy. This article shows you 7 big ways selenium helps your body, all proven by science. It aims to help you take charge of your health.
Key Takeaways
- Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that can help reduce oxidative stress and defend against chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.
- Higher blood selenium levels are associated with a lower risk of certain cancers, including breast, lung, colon, and prostate.
- Selenium may improve memory and cognitive function, potentially benefiting those with Alzheimer’s disease.
- Selenium plays a crucial role in thyroid health, protecting the thyroid gland and aiding in the production of thyroid hormones.
- This essential mineral is important for boosting the immune system and reducing inflammation in the body.
Introduction to Dietary Selenium
Selenium is an essential mineral, vital for health, from the food you eat. Even though just a bit is needed, it has big effects on your body. This includes keeping your metabolism and thyroid function on track. It makes up 25 important proteins, influencing thyroid hormones, DNA building, and keeping us safe from harm.
When you take in selenomethionine and inorganic selenium, your body quickly changes it. It makes a key part needed to build selenocysteine, the form of selenium in our proteins. The usual check for enough selenium is the levels in your blood, which should be 8 micrograms (mcg)/dL or higher for good health benefits.
Essential Mineral for Human Health
Selenium is crucial for good health, involved in many processes. It acts as a strong antioxidant. It might lower the chance of some cancers, boost brain power, and keep your thyroid and defense system strong.
Role in Thyroid Function and Antioxidant Activity
The thyroid gland needs selenium to work well, more than any other part of your body. It protects the thyroid from damage and helps make thyroid hormones. These hormones control how you grow, develop, and how fast your body burns energy.
Selenium is not only good for the thyroid. It also works as an antioxidant, fighting off oxidative stress. This stress can lead to illnesses like heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants, like selenium, mop up the extra bad molecules in your body, keeping your cells healthy.
Powerful Antioxidant Properties
Selenium is a strong antioxidant that fights oxidative stress. It defends against chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. These diseases are often caused by too many free radicals.
Free radicals are made in our body daily. They are important but too many cause problems. Selenium helps keep their numbers in check.
This process lowers the risk of diseases and protects our cells.
Neutralizing Free Radicals
Selenium works to stop free radicals in their tracks. These are unstable molecules that harm our cells. They increase the risk of diseases like heart disease and cancer.
Selenium works with glutathione peroxidase to change free radicals into harmless forms. This reduces their damage.
Reducing Oxidative Stress
When there are too many free radicals, oxidative stress happens. This can damage our cells.
Selenium controls free radicals. This lowers the risk of diseases and protects our cells from harm.
Protecting Cells from Damage
Selenium fights against free radicals to reduce stress. This protects our cells from damage.
Its action is linked to fighting cancer, protecting our heart, and keeping our brain and thyroid healthy.
Potential Cancer-Fighting Benefits
Selenium can help decrease oxidative stress and possibly lower cancer risk. This is because it can reduce DNA damage and stress, boost the immune system, and fight cancer cells. A study of 69 reports with 350,000 participants showed a high selenium level lowered risks of several cancers. These types included breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancers. The key thing to remember is that the benefit came from food, not supplements.
Yet, taking selenium supplements might help with cancer treatment side effects. For example, it could make radiation therapy more bearable by improving life quality and reducing diarrhea in some cases.
Cardioprotective Effects of Dietary Selenium
A diet rich in selenium keeps the heart healthy. Low selenium increases the risk of heart disease. A study of 25 types of research showed a 50% blood selenium level boost cut heart disease risk by 24%. Selenium also reduces body inflammation, a key heart disease risk factor.
In a similar vein, 16 studies looked at more than 433,000 people with heart disease. Those who took selenium supplements saw lower CRP levels. They also had higher glutathione peroxidase levels. These changes suggest selenium can lower heart disease risk by cutting inflammation and oxidative stress.
Role in Cognitive Health and Alzheimer’s Disease
Selenium is an antioxidant. It can help slow down mental decline and boost memory in Alzheimer’s patients. Many studies show that those with Alzheimer’s often have low selenium levels. Some research suggests that antioxidants can improve their memory.
Improving Memory and Mental Functions
A study found that eating one Brazil nut rich in selenium each day helped with thinking skills in those with mild memory problems. The Mediterranean diet, full of selenium from seafood and nuts, is linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. This points to selenium-rich diets possibly preventing Alzheimer’s.
Potential Benefits for Alzheimer’s Patients
An NHANES survey from 2011–2014 looked at over 1600 adults over 65. They checked the selenium levels in relation to memory using the CERAD score. Adequate selenium was linked with better memory. With selenium supplements, the number of those with low selenium levels also dropped. This shows selenium’s potential to keep minds sharp and help Alzheimer’s patients.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| In 2021, one in nine adults aged 65 or older were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. | 11.11% |
| Approximately 7 million people in the US were living with dementia in 2021. | 7 million |
| The United States spent $321 billion in healthcare on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in 2022. | $321 billion |
The study looked at factors influencing memory, like gender and education. It found women did better on memory tests. Education and race also played a big role. Non-Hispanic Whites and those with more education made up a big part of the study.
The study pointed to selenium’s role in blocking brain damage. It suggests that a selenium-rich diet could keep our brains healthy. This might be crucial for fighting off diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Maintaining Thyroid Health
Selenium is key for our thyroid to work well. It’s found in the thyroid more than anywhere else. This mineral safeguards the thyroid from harm. It also helps make the thyroid hormones. These hormones control how fast we burn calories, and they guide our growth and changes.
Importance for Thyroid Hormone Production
Not getting enough selenium can lead to thyroid problems. These include thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, and Graves’ disease. Luckily, in the U.S., selenium is in the soil well. This means most people get what they need through food. Still, some folks might lack selenium. This includes those with Crohn’s disease, after gastric surgery, in low-selenium places, on dialysis, and with HIV.
Potential Benefits for Hashimoto’s Disease
Selenium supplements might help those with Hashimoto’s disease. It’s a kind of low thyroid caused by the body attacking itself. Daily selenium for three months has made thyroid antibodies drop. It made people feel better too. But, more studies are needed to be sure it always helps.
Immune System Support
Selenium is vital for our immune system’s health. It acts as an antioxidant in our body, cutting down on oxidative stress. This lessens inflammation and boosts our immunity.
Studies show that more selenium in blood means better immune response. And lack of selenium can weaken immune cells and slow down our body’s defense.
Enhancing Immune Response
Selenium supplements are beneficial for those fighting certain diseases like HIV and flu. They’ve helped lower hospital visits and made symptoms better for patients. This shows selenium can improve the immune systems in these cases.
Benefits for HIV, Influenza, and Hepatitis C
Not having enough selenium raises the risk for those with HIV and makes the disease worse faster. It also makes flu virus effects more severe. But, adding selenium helps fight against HIV-1 and boosts the immune system in adults lacking selenium.
Dietary Selenium and Asthma
Selenium helps reduce body inflammation, which is good for people with asthma. It seems those with asthma have less selenium in their blood. Yet, those with more selenium have better breathing. Taking selenium supplements helps, too. For example, a study showed asthma patients needed less corticosteroids when taking 200 mcg of selenium daily.
Reducing Asthma Symptoms
Selenium fights inflammation, which helps ease asthma symptoms. The GAL2EN project found that in European studies, more selenium in the blood meant better lung health and fewer asthma attacks.
Potential for Decreased Medication Use
Selenium can also lower the need for asthma medications. In one study, 200 mcg of selenium daily cut back on corticosteroid use. Corticosteroids are often used to manage asthma symptoms.
Still, there’s some mixed evidence about selenium’s exact role with asthma. We need more big studies to really get it. While it looks promising, confirming if selenium can treat asthma and decrease asthma medication use requires more research.
Conclusion
Selenium is key for good health, working as a strong antioxidant. It may lower the chance of some cancers, help the brain work better, and keep our thyroid and immune systems strong. While not common, low selenium levels can occur. Making sure we get enough from our diet or by taking supplements is smart.
Always talk to your doctor before adding selenium supplements. Too much might cause problems. Eating foods high in selenium, like Brazil nuts, seafood, and meats, is an easy way to get its benefits.
Studies have shown how vital selenium is for our bodies. They prove it can help keep us healthy and lower the risk of certain diseases. Knowing about the good things selenium does can guide us to choose foods that are healthy and rich in selenium.
FAQ
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Source Links
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/selenium-benefits
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/
- https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/selenium/
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- https://www.verywellhealth.com/selenium-and-your-thyroid-4134998
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5307254/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10080082/
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- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3277928/
- https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1003/selenium
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6480557/
