Thread: Selenium

Don't underestimate the dirt beneath your feet. Especially if
you're standing on farmland soil in the western U.S.

Soil contains a trace mineral called selenium. When you
consume food that's grown in selenium-rich soil, your body
is replenished with a nutrient that has been shown to help
fight autoimmune disorders, increase insulin efficiency, and
curb the mutation of viruses.

And if this were a late night infomercial, right about now I
would say, "But wait! That's not all you get!" Because
selenium also has excellent antioxidant qualities, it boosts the
antioxidant power of vitamin E, and it's been shown to
reduce the risk of several types of cancers by triggering the
activity of a tumor-suppressing gene.

And that's where today's e-Alert begins: Out west, with an
Arizona study that evaluates the association of selenium
intake with the reduced risk of one of the most common types
of cancer.

------------------------------------------------------------
Three into one
------------------------------------------------------------

Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) wanted to
expand on previous research, which had indicated that
selenium may reduce the risk of developing colorectal
tumors.

The UA team used data combined from three trials: the
Wheat Bran Fiber Trial, the Polyp Prevention Trial, and the
Polyp Prevention Study. Each of these projects examined the
effects of different nutritional factors on the prevention of
benign colorectal tumors in patients who previously had such
tumors removed during colonoscopy.

Medical records and blood tests of more than 1,700 subjects
were analyzed to determine tumor developments and
selenium concentrations. When the subjects were grouped
ranging from least blood concentration of selenium to
greatest, results showed that subjects with the highest blood
selenium values had "statistically significantly lower odds"
of developing a new tumor when compared to subjects with
the lowest blood selenium values.

The researchers also noted that each of the three trials
individually indicated selenium's protective effect against the
recurrence of tumors, and that those with the very highest
blood selenium value had more than a 40 percent reduced
risk of tumor recurrence compared to subjects with the very
lowest levels of selenium.

------------------------------------------------------------
The big six
------------------------------------------------------------

In the UA study – which appears in a November issue of the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute – the researchers note
that, given the limitations of the data from the three trials,
they were not able to pinpoint the selenium sources in the
subjects' blood samples. Therefore they couldn't draw any
conclusions about supplementing with selenium.

As I've noted in previous e-Alerts, in the U.S., selenium is
highly concentrated in the soil of only six states: North and
South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.
Anyone who lives in these states and eats ample amounts of
locally grown fruits and vegetables daily is probably getting a
good selenium intake. But the rest of us are probably not,
unless we're taking a selenium supplement or a multivitamin
that contains selenium.

The U.S. RDA for selenium is 55 mcg for women and 70
mcg for men, but the average diet falls far short of that
amount – especially if you don't eat produce from one of the
six states mentioned above. Research into the cancer-
preventive qualities of selenium indicates that a daily intake
needs to be around 200 mcg to insure adequate prevention.
Which brings up the issue of selenium toxicity.

Selenium comes with a general warning about high intake of
this nutrient. And while it's true that mega-dosing might
create problems, you would have to get more than 2,500 mcg
of selenium per day for an extended period to receive a toxic
amount, so the actual chances of getting a dangerous dose are
extremely slim.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, bread, fish and meat all
contain selenium. The real selenium powerhouse, however, is
the Brazil nut, delivering more than 800 mcg of selenium per
ounce.