his selenium insufficiency
But wouldn’t tell him why it was a concern then I learned it enhances immunity. In cases of selenium deficiency and with the resulting impaired function of glutathione peroxidases destructive hydrogen peroxide. Which breaks down into even more dangerous hydroxyl radical which damages cell membranes and cell DNA eventually leading to serious disease
.I will repeat: This maybe the root cause of cancer? In cases of selenium deficiency and with the resulting impaired function of glutathione peroxidases destructive hydrogen peroxide breaks down into even more dangerous hydroxyl radical which damages cell membranes and cell DNA eventually leading to serious disease.
A single nutrient that holds great power for the prevention of disease and disability.
A remarkable study on Selenium was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 1996. It reported a group of 1312 people in Arizona who were not deficient in selenium. Half were given 200 micrograms of selenium per day. After only five years, compared to those not given the supplement, there were:
17% fewer deaths overall
52% less cancer deaths
37% less cancer, especially lung, prostate and colon – each of which was cut by about 50% [1]
This is dramatic and impressive, considering that no other nutrient or treatment can boast such numbers. Not even chemotherapy!
Selenium is a micronutrient that gets little attention. Since the Recommended Daily Allowance is only 55 micrograms per day, it is thought that Americans get enough in the diet. Indeed, The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) reported that over 99% of US participants had sufficient blood concentrations. It suggests selenium supplementation is not needed. [2] Thereby, nutrition professionals and physicians may not recognize any need for selenium supplementation.
The times when we need additional immune support often hit us by surprise. Whether it is waking up with a sore throat and the sniffles or leaving work early with a fever and the chills, we often don’t see illness coming until it is upon us full bore. In retrospect, we may associate an illness with the coughing passenger on a recent flight, the kids being back at school, or the sick patients coming in and out of the office. The body’s immune system is also challenged by stress and/or sleepless nights, with cortisol impacting it as well.
Although we often reflect that hindsight is 20/20, there are many times in life when we are able to sense the stress on our immune system prior to the development of a full-blown infectious illness or other immune system challenge. In these instances, support from substances such as the ones detailed in this article may help to mitigate or prevent the untoward changes
to our healthy state.
https://www.
clinicaleducation.org/
resources/reviews/selenium-
shrooms-astragalus-and-andrographis/
Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient
That is important for various aspects of human health, including proper thyroid hormone metabolism, cardiovascular health, prevention of neurodegeneration and cancer, and optimal immune responses. Very low (deplete) or very high (toxic) levels of Selenium intake can be detrimental or possibly fatal. Extreme deficiency or toxicity is not commonly found in humans, but selenosis has been reported in cases of miscalculated supplement formulations, suicides, accidental overdose, or intentional poisoning (150, 177, 238). That said, less overt changes in Se status within an individual may still affect inflammation and immune responses.
The biological effects of Se are mainly exerted through its incorporation into selenoproteins, and selenoproteins are involved in the activation, proliferation, and differentiation of cells that drive innate and adaptive immune responses. Dietary Se and selenoproteins are not only important for initiating or enhancing immunity, but they are also involved in immunoregulation, which is crucial for preventing excessive responses that may also lead to autoimmunity or chronic inflammation. It should be noted that most studies in the literature involve modifications to dietary Se, and insights into mechanisms often are not clear, but roles for individual selenoproteins and mechanisms are discussed when data are available.
On a cellular level, dietary Se may influence various leukocytic effector functions including adherence, migration, phagocytosis, and cytokine secretion. Several members of the selenoprotein family regulate or are regulated by cellular redox tone, which is a crucial modulator of immune cell signaling and function. There are also important links between selenoproteins and calcium (Ca2+) flux, which is regulated by and regulates the oxidative burst required for optimal immune cell activation. New insights have been gained into specific roles for individual selenoproteins in modulating immune receptor-mediated signaling pathways linked to Ca2+ flux and oxidative burst, inducing cytokine production, migration,
and other cellular processes.
This article will describe redox-based mechanisms that affect these cellular processes during inflammation and immunity, and how Se and selenoproteins are involved in those processes. The impact of Se on immune-related human physiology and pathophysiology is also discussed, with emphasis placed on disorders related to immunity and chronic inflammation. It should be noted that health issues such as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases have been extensively covered in other reviews (141, 183, 245), and are not included in this article. Finally, issues are raised as to how Se supplementation may be best utilized to enhance or modulate certain types of inflammation and immune responses.
BENEFITS OF SELENIUM IN CANCER PREVENTION
Selenium can be converted into various metabolites in the body. In fact, there is at least
a dozen selenoproteins, other than glutathione peroxidases, that perform various functions
in the body. Two of them, selenodiglutathione and methylselenol, play an important role
in cancer prevention.
Selenodiglutathione (SDG) is formed when the inorganic dietary form selenite is joined with
a glutathione molecule inside cells. In his book “Selenium. Are you getting enough to reduce your risk of cancer?” Edgar N. Drake, Ph.D. states that “selenodiglutathione kills cancer cells so effectively that its sterile solutions have been patented for direct injection into cancer cells”.
At the same time a 2006 study concluded, when activated, SDG produces large concentrations of oxidative stress and depletes glutathione levels in cells. This is a promising pathway for killing off cancer cells but may be harmful for healthy cells, especially if they are low on glutathione. The authors noted: “The finding that SDG cytotoxicity is, at least in part, dependent on ROS generation further suggests that this compound may be directly genotoxic. SDG is not currently available in a form that can be administered to patients.” (The activity of methylated and non-methylated selenium species in lymphoma cell lines and primary tumours. Last K, Mahraj L et al. Ann Oncol. 2006 May;17(5):773-9. Epub 2006 Feb 9).
Most common, organic dietary forms of selenium (e.g. amino acid forms selenomethionine, selenocysteine, methylselenocysteine) produce methylselenol but not selenodiglutathione, according to Professor Drake. Methylselenol is considered a safer, however,
less potent anticarcinogen.
There is also clinical evidence suggesting that selenium “may be an anti-metastastatic element in addition to being a cancer preventative agent”. (Is selenium a potential treatment for cancer metastasis? Chen YC et al. Nutrients. 2013 Apr 8;5(4):1149-68. doi: 10.3390/nu5041149.)
BENEFITS OF SELENIUM FOR IMMUNE RESPONSE
Because of its critical role in antioxidant defense through glutathione network, selenium is
also important for maintaining resistance to many diseases – all the cells of the immune system require protection from free radicals, including white blood cells.
By protecting white blood cells from free radicals that these cells produce themselves in their fight with infections, selenium increases these cells’ effectiveness.
Benefits of selenium for immune response include improved lymphocyte proliferation, stimulation of antibody production and increase in the activity of the helper T cells, cytotoxic
T cells and natural killer (NK) cells boosting both the cell-mediated and humoral immunity.
Some of the metabolites of selenium are believed to be involved in the immune and inflammatory responses through the mechanisms not yet fully understood. (Selenium in the environment, metabolism and involvement in body functions. Mehdi Y, Hornick JL et al. Molecules 2013, 18, 3292-3311; doi: 10.3390/molecules18033292).
http://www.benbest.com/nutrceut/Selenium.html
All this evidence proves how essential selenium is for proper glutathione function, strong immune defenses and the protection from diseases including cancer. RDA for selenium is set at 70 mcg for men and 55 mcg for women. However, it is believed that these amounts are set to merely prevent complications from selenium deficiency.
Summarizing numerous studies in his above mentioned book Professor Edgar Drake concludes that the safe daily amount of selenium which is the most effective in cancer prevention ranges between 200-500 mcg a day depending on a person’s location, diet and individual response to supplementation.
Since selenium carries well documented toxicity called selenosis, adverse effects may manifest at as low as 250 mcg a day and become a serious problem above 1,000 mcg a day. Symptoms include hair loss, nail deformities, breath with garlic odor, gastrointestinal and neurological disorders.
Due to selenium’s toxicity supplementation with selenium and the doses should be discussed with your doctor.
Good dietary sources of selenium (organic forms) include Brazil nuts, organ meats, muscle meats, poultry, fish, oysters, rolled oats and wheat flour. For more information about dietary selenium and list of the best food sources visit our page High Selenium Foods.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3277928/
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Low levels of selenium are present in meat and seafood. Selenium is not found in plants unless it is in the soil. Plants will also include selenium in their proteins only if they are grown in areas where the mineral is abundant. But, soils depleted of selenium are not replenished because selenium isn’t necessary for the plant to grow, or bear fruit. Thus, the intake of selenium from food is highly dependent on the place it is grown, and not on the type of food.
What Does Selenium Do?
Selenium is part of a group of proteins that regulate three known actions:
Activating thyroid hormones
Regenerating glutathione, the “king of anti-oxidants”
Regulating immune function
Though it is needed in tiny amounts, each of these actions has a very large effect on your body.
Selenium to Stay Young All Your Life
Many of the diseases we face in the modern world are due to inflammation, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes. Selenium can improve function and prevent degeneration, or aging by lowering inflammation. We are told that it is normal to “get old” and have memory loss, diabetes, arthritis, or even heart disease. Actually, we don’t have to decline in function; we can continue to improve if we care for our bodies well.
By removing inflammation inside the cells, they function better, and are more able to regenerate, preventing aging. Selenium even prevents the peroxides in hair cells that cause us to get gray hair.
Getting adequate selenium is an important part of any anti-aging program.
https://www.healthresource4u.
com/selenium-are-you-getting-enough.html
Selenium for the “Big C”
Selenium has a very big effect on cancer. Not only can selenium help prevent cancer, as noted above, but it can also treat an already existing cancer. Cancerous cells reproduce indefinitely. But selenium programs them to die. This is called apoptosis, essentially triggering a suicide gene in the cancer cell. Control is taken away from the cancer cell by blocking the protein that protects the cancer cell.[3]
Source: Dr. Scott D. Saunders, M.D. is a practicing physician, specializing in preventative health care, who utilizes eclectic health care for the whole family, including conventional, orthomolecular and natural medicine. He is also the medical director of The Integrative Medical Center of Santa Barbara in Lompoc, CA. He went to UCLA medical school and is board certified in family medicine. View natural remedies with Dr. Saunders at:
http://integrativemedicinecenters.com/ https://www.homecuresthatwork.
com/19846/the-amazing-power-of-selenium/
Selenium supplementation should be included in any cancer regimen.
How a Trace Mineral, Maitake Mushroom, and Adaptogenic Herbs Offer Comprehensive Immune Protection by Carrie Decker ND.
https://primalherb.com/maitake-natures-powerful-immune-mushroom/ https://www.carriedecker.com/