Month: December 2019

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Selenium Supplementation and Sperm Quality Parameters

Supplementation with selenium and with Coenzyme Q10 has beneficial effects on sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. There seems to be a special interrelationship between selenium and Coenzyme Q10 such that sufficient concentrations of each are needed for the optimal function of the other.

Data from two randomized controlled trials have shown that selenium supplementation has the following significant beneficial effects [Salas-Huertos]:

  • improved sperm volume and concentration
  • improved sperm motility
  • improved sperm morphology

Selenium supplementation at 100 micrograms per day for 3 months improved sperm motility and increased the chance of conception.  Selenium supplementation at 200 micrograms per day for 6 months improved semen volume, total sperm count and concentration, and sperm morphology [Salas-Huertos].

Data from five other randomized controlled trials have shown that Coenzyme Q10 supplementation is significantly associated with the following beneficial effects:

  • improved sperm count
  • improved sperm concentration
  • improved sperm motility
  • improved sperm morphology

The Coenzyme Q10 supplementation was most effective when the supplementation was in the range of 200 – 300 milligrams per day (in divided doses) for at least 3 months and especially after 6 months [Salas-Huertos]. read more

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Selenium Status and Prostate Cancer Risk

The light blue ribbon is the prostate cancer awareness ribbon. Along with skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men. The American Cancer Society estimates that one man in nine will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Research shows that blood selenium status within a specific range is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer.

One of the big challenges in selenium research is the optimizing of the daily selenium intake to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. We need more research results to answer the following questions about the use of selenium supplements to reduce the risk of prostate cancer [Waters & Chiang 2017]:

  • What is the optimal formulation of the selenium supplement?
  • What is the correct daily dosage?
  • What is the range of baseline blood selenium concentrations that indicates a need for selenium supplementation?
  • What is the blood selenium level above which selenium supplementation will not reduce the risk of prostate cancer further?

The idea that selenium intakes and selenium status are an important determinant of prostate cancer risk began to receive considerable attention after University of Arizona Professor Larry Clark published the results of the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial in JAMA in December 1996 [Clark 1996].

High-Selenium Yeast Supplements in the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial

The Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial (NPCT) was a supplementation trial using 200 micrograms of a selenized yeast preparation or placebo for an average duration of 4.5 years.  The study participants were 1312 men and women with an average age 63 years. read more