Selenium acts as an antioxidant, but unlike the antioxidants listed above, it does so “indirectly.” Several minerals work as cofactors in antioxidant enzymes—most prominently copper and manganese in addition to selenium—but of these, only selenium is usually missing from a normal diet.
It is a cofactor within a particular antioxidant enzyme system, the glutathione peroxidase enzyme (GPX) system, which is one of the most important endogenous enzymes our cells have to control oxygen free radicals. GPX needs selenium to do its job—selenium supplements increase its antioxidant activity.
And since the job of GPX is to essentially enhance the ability of the substance glutathione (GSH) to neutralize peroxides before they can be converted into free radicals, you should include GSH, or a GSH precursor along with your selenium.
For some time it has been known that giving selenium supplements to animals dramatically reduces the incidence of cancer, but now an impressive number of human clinical trials in more than twenty countries also show a significant decrease in the incidence of cancer in humans taking selenium supplements.
In fact, a large, recent clinical trial in the U.S. using selenium supplements in around 1,300 people for an average of 4.5 years concluded that taking selenium supplements clearly reduced the risk of total cancer incidence and mortality in these individuals.
Dosage
How much selenium we have in our bodies at any given time is a function of how much selenium is in our diet (we cannot manufacture a mineral), but, of course, the selenium content of foods can vary greatly depending on the selenium content of the soil it was grown in.
The average blood level of selenium in persons in the U.S. is in the range of 1.30 to 1.80 micromoles of selenium per liter of plasma, although measurement of the activity of GPX in the blood is thought to be a better indicator of selenium status than blood-selenium levels.
The average daily intake of selenium in the U.S. that produces this blood level of selenium is between 60 and 160 micrograms per day. The levels of selenium intake that have been found to be safe, and optimize the activity of GPX in humans, range from 125 to 600 micrograms per day.
For normal, healthy people, I recommend 200 micrograms every other day (that’s what I take). However, do not exceed 600 micrograms per day, as you will approach toxic blood levels.
If you are taking selenium supplements and start to experience muscle twitching, lethargy, hair loss, abdominal cramps, white streaking in your nails, or your nails falling out, you may have selenium poisoning.
Stop taking the supplements, and have your plasma-selenium levels checked by your doctor. Selenium is a very important mineral for Youth enhancement, but you do not want to have too much of it.
You can purchase either organic or inorganic selenium, but organic selenium may be a better choice because animal studies show it inhibits cancer more effectively.
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abdominal cramps, antioxidant enzyme system, antioxidants, daily supplements, glutathione peroxidase enzyme, hair loss, healthy diet, inorganic selenium, lethargy, muscle twitching, organic selenium, oxygen free radicals, Selenium, selenium supplements,
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