Month: October 2019

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Metabolic Changes After Supplementation with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10

Professor Urban Alehagen’s research has shown that there is a relatively high mortality risk in elderly Swedish subjects with low selenium intakes and low selenium status. Senior citizens in Sweden had, on average, serum selenium concentrations of 67.1 micrograms per liter. The same increased mortality risk seen in Sweden may be typical of other selenium-poor regions of the world as well.

There are clear differences in the metabolic profiles of elderly men who took 200 micrograms of selenium and 2 x 100 milligrams of Coenzyme Q10 daily for at least 18 months as compared with the metabolic profiles of elderly men who took matching placebos [Alehagen 2019].

Drawing on data from a sub-analysis of the KiSel-10 Study, Professor Urban Alehagen reported that the major differences were seen primarily in the following biological pathways [Alehagen 2019]:

  • pentose phosphate pathway (the pathway for the generation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, which is a substance that reduces ubiquinone Coenzyme Q10)
  • mevalonate pathway (the pathway for the synthesis of cholesterol, Coenzyme Q10, and dolichol)
  • beta-oxidation pathway (the pathway for the breaking down of fatty acid molecules to produce energy and to produce acetyl-CoA, FADH2 and NADH, which are needed for the citric acid cycle [Krebs cycle]

There were other significant metabolic changes associated with the selenium and Coenzyme Q10 supplementation of senior citizens as well [Alehagen 2019].

Changes in Metabolic Profile After Supplementation with Selenium and Coenzyme Q10

In this study, Professor Alehagen and his team of researchers analyzed the metabolic patterns of 95 metabolites in the plasma of elderly men. read more

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Normal Serum Selenium Levels

Dr. Margaret P. Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Science, University of Surrey at Guildford, said in 2002: ” Se deficiency is defined by Baum et al (1997)  as  a  plasma  level  ≤ 85μg/liter,  a  level  not  attained  in many northern European countries.”

Selenium is an important trace element that is needed for the proper functioning of our cells.  It is needed in very small amounts, but it might be a good idea to have a blood test done to check the serum selenium level.

The Mayo Clinic Laboratories state that the normal concentration in adult human blood serum is 70 to 150 micrograms per liter (the same as 70 to 150 nanograms per milliliter). According to the Mayo Clinic, the US population mean value is 98 micrograms per liter [Mayo Clinic].

Variations in Serum Selenium Levels

Diet, geographic location, demographic factors, and environmental factors all influence serum selenium levels.

The following factors are independent predictors of higher selenium status in the United States [Park]: read more