Health Benefits of Selenium

Those of you looking on the market in an effort to decide which supplements to take may be interested to learn that there are about 40 micronutrients in the diet which are considered essential to human health. Of these selenium is one. The health benefits of selenium is just a small part of the dietary dilemma facing those who have poor nutritional habits.

Selenium is a trace mineral found in many fruits, vegetables and also in meat and shellfish. The interesting thing is that these fruits and veggies will only have selenium if they are grown in soil with an amount of selenium. Plants cannot make selenium they must absorb it from the ground, just as we absorb it from plants.

Much of our corn is grown in the Midwest, parts of which does have a good amount of selenium in its soil. The problem is you can never really be sure if the food you are eating contains selenium in it. If you it a diet with more shellfish in it you can be pretty sure you are getting enough selenium because the shellfish needed it in its diet and had to absorb it from the food it ate. The best you can do for your diet is try to eat a lot of fruits and veggies in combination with fish and shellfish.

It is believed by some researchers that at least some of the harm from low nutrient intake is oxidative damage to the DNA. This can cause cancer to form. Selenium has been shown to prevent this damage at proper levels but the same damage occurs with high levels as does from low levels in the diet.

Numerous studies--over 200 at least--have traced the eating habits of people and found that the 25% who eat the lowest levels of fruits and vegetable have twice the rate of cancer of the rest of the population. By contrast those eating the most have the fewest cancers. Some studies have indicated that Selenium supplements can reduce the risks of dying from lung, prostate and colon cancer by as much as half. Simply by making sure you have selenium in your diet.

What’s even more disturbing is that 86% of children and adolescence have been eating less than the five servings of fruits and vegetables per day that are currently recommended as supplying adequate nutrient levels.

The number of adults who don’t eat enough fruits and vegetable is slightly lower at 68% of the population. Unfortunately, it is likely that the harm to health levels have already occurred by adulthood.

It is toxic in high doses be careful not to exceed a daily intake of 400 milligrams, though its probably best if you stay with the recommended 55 micrograms daily. Symptoms of overdose are garlic breath, fatigue, hair loss, irritability, sloughing of your nails, and gastrointestinal problems. It you continue taking too much selenium you can develop neurological problems, liver problems and pulmonary edema which can lead to death.

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