February 2020 - Seleniumfacts.com

Abnormally low selenium status is characteristic of critical illness and major trauma. The fall in selenium status occurs very rapidly after major trauma and is associated with poor survival odds. For it to be effective, adjuvant treatment with selenium must be initiated as soon as possible.

Serum selenium and selenoprotein P concentrations drop to very low levels very quickly following major traumatic injury. The very low selenium and selenoprotein P levels are associated with poor survival odds [Braunstein].

These findings in a study done at the University Hospital in Munich, Germany, suggest that selenium supplementation may be a meaningful adjuvant treatment strategy for patients who have suffered major trauma [Braunstein].

Selenium and Critical Illness

Lower than normal selenium status is characteristic of critical illness. Low selenium status can affect the course and the outcome of various diseases [Braunstein].

For example, Bomer et al [2019] found that heart failure patients with serum selenium levels below 70 micrograms per liter had poorer quality of life, poorer exercise capacity, and poorer prognosis than heart failure patients with higher serum selenium levels. read more

Low selenium status is associated with increased risk of Graves’ Disease. Graves’ Disease is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. It is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It often results in an enlarged thyroid.

A 2018 meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials shows that adjuvant selenium supplementation may enhance the restoration of normal thyroid function in patients with Graves’ Disease [Zheng].

Graves’ Disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in adults. It is characterized by below-normal serum TSH levels and increased serum levels of free thyroxine (FT4) and/or triiodothyronine (T3). The basal metabolic status of Graves’ Disease patients is accelerated; the result is an increase in the production of harmful free radicals and reactive oxygen species [Zheng].

Intra-cellular antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) protect against the cellular damage caused by oxidative stress. read more

Milestones in early selenium research

1817 Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius discovers selenium

1957 Biochemist Klaus Schwarz shows that selenium in microscopic amounts has a vital importance for mammalian health

1969 Professor J.T. Rotruck discovers that selenium has a biochemical role as a component of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase

1969 Professors R.J. Shamberger and D.V. Frost report a possible protective effect of selenium against cancer in humans

1973 Professor J.T. Rotruck identifies the enzyme glutathione peroxidase as a selenium-dependent protein

1977 Professor G.N. Schrauzer publishes cancer mortality correlation studies showing an inverse correlation between dietary intakes of selenium and cancer mortality in 27 countries

1988 Professor G.Q Yang summarizes the lessons learned about the selenium-related endemic diseases Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck disease and about the importance of adequate daily selenium intakes

1989 Professor G.G. Duthie publishes evidence for a role of selenium in the prevention of cardiovascular disease

1993 Researcher W.J. Blot publishes the results of the Nutrition Intervention Trials in Linxian, China, showing that supplementation with a combination of selenium and other antioxidants reduces the risk of cancer

1994 Professor G.N. Schrauzer publishes evidence that selenium is important in the maintenance and therapy of HIV-infected patients

1996 Professor Larry Clark publishes the results of a randomized controlled trial – the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer study -- that shows selenium's cancer-protective effects on colon cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer

1997 Professor G.F. Combs summarizes the evidence for the protective effects of selenium against cancer

1999 Professor J.E. Oldfield publishes his Selenium World Atlas, mapping areas of selenium deficiency around the world

2000 Researcher O.A. Levander publishes evidence showing an anti-viral effect of selenium

2002 Researcher R. Gärtner shows that supplementation with selenium reduces inflammation in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis

2002 Researcher Margaret Rayman presents the arguments for increasing selenium intakes to realize selenium’s antioxidant and anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effects as well as selenium’s enhancement of immune function and reproductive success.

Month: February 2020

Selenium Status and Major Trauma Patients

Selenium and Critical Illness

Selenium Supplementation and Graves’ Disease