Health Benefits of Selenium as an Antioxidant
Selenium is present in all the tissues of the body and is an essential trace mineral. It plays the role of an antioxidant and fights cancer. It is the main component of an enzyme (glutathione peroxidase) and neutralizes free radicals between and within the cells. And selenium is essential to the body to produce this enzyme.
Selenium works to stop lipid peroxidation and specifically protects the liver from damage. By preventing the oxidation of fatty tissue, Selenium helps to maintain the suppleness and elasticity of body tissues and thereby it combats effects of aging.
Tests conducted have proved that selenium is protective against cancer. Tumor cells grow in animals that are selenium deficient, but tumors do not survive selenium rich animals. The animals are protected against both carcinogen and virus induced cancer.
Selenium Vitamins and Selenium Nutrition
Selenium works in close relations with Vitamin E. The level of each nutrient in our body will affect our need for the other, because they are complementary. Selenium destroys fat-soluble oxidants in the watery areas of the cells and Vitamin E serves the body in the fatty areas of the cell.
People are unable to maintain healthy levels of selenium because either the soil in which the food is grown is low in selenium or the foods that they eat are low in selenium. Adding fertilizers to the soil that comprises selenium can solve the problem. Change in diet, and supplementation is also good enough and will benefit the body.
Dosages of Selenium
Too much of Selenium is toxic, so be careful. A daily supplement of 50-200mcg is considered safe, and more than 200mg of Selenium is usually not recommended. More than Sodium Selenite usually found in supplements, selenomethionine (found in plants) is better absorbed. So better buy the natural form. Use it with Vitamin E for best antioxidant properties.
Selenium acts as a micro nutrient or trace element in the human body. Its distribution in the earth’s crust varies from place to place. Its content of water varies even more greatly. The amount present in foods also varies widely. Males appear to have a greater need for this mineral. About half the supply of their bodies is concentrated in the testicles and parts of the seminal ducts adjacent to the prostrate gland.
Selenium is a Grey, crystalline element of the sulfur group. It is an antioxidant and its biological activity is closely related to vitamin E. It is excreted in the semen.
Functions of Selenium in the Body
Selenium acts with Vitamin E as a non-specific antioxidant to protect cell membranes and tissues. Both of them prevent or slow down the aging process and hardening of tissues. Selenium aids in maintaining youthful elasticity in tissues.
Sources of Selenium
Wholegrain cereals like wheat germ, barley, and wholewheat bread are the best sources of selenium.
Deficiency Symptoms of Selenium
Low levels of selenium put people at higher risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases, and other conditions associated with increased free radical damage, including premature aging and cataract formation.
Healing Properties of Selenium
Selenium has been found beneficial in the prevention and treatment of Keshan disease. This is a syndrome endemic to the Keshan province in China where the soil is deficient in selenium. Keshan disease is characterized by degeneration of the muscle fibers of the heart. During their child-bearing years, women are particularly susceptible to this disease. Selenium binds cadmium and other metals and mitigates their toxic effects.
This mineral also helps in the regeneration of the liver after damage, especially by cirrhosis. It is useful in alleviating hot flushes and menopausal distress. It helps in the prevention and treatment of dandruff. It is believed to neutralize certain carcinogens and provide protection from some types of cancer.
Precautions
Selenium toxicity occurs in animals but human beings who have consumed vegetables grown in soil containing high selenium content, show no ill effects. Selenium poisoning has been reported due to ingestion of water containing large amounts of the metal. In rare cases, it can result in patchy baldness (alopecia), abnormal nails, emotional instability, and lassitude.
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