December 2020 - Seleniumfacts.com

Arthritic hands — Rheumatoid arthritis patients typically have lower serum selenium status than healthy individuals do. Some studies show that selenium supplementation is associated with reduced swelling and stiffness of the joints and with less severe pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

A meta-analysis shows a significant association between low serum selenium status and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [Yu 2016].

-The researchers examined the data from 14 case-control studies involving 716 subjects.

-The analysis of the pooled data indicated that patients with rheumatoid arthritis had lower serum levels of selenium than the healthy controls.

-The rheumatoid arthritis patients had significantly lower serum selenium levels than healthy controls did in studies in Europe and in Asia but not in studies in the USA.

Selenium and Rheumatoid Arthritis Studies

Sahebari et al [2019] reported on 13 studies that assessed selenium status in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

All studies comparing selenium status in rheumatoid arthritis patients and controls showed lower selenium status in the rheumatoid arthritis patients. It is not uncommon that researchers find an association between low selenium intakes/status and increased incidence of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
Four of the studies analyzed by Sahebari et al showed an improvement in the clinical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to controls when the patients had been treated with 200-600 micrograms of selenium daily.

Adequate Selenium for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the joints of the hands and feet and leads to disability. read more

Pregnant woman — **Low serum selenium status (defined as below 80 micrograms per liter) during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, pre-term births, and other adverse outcomes.**

A recent review article presents the evidence that low selenium status in pregnant women may be implicated in the following complications [Duntas 2020]:

miscarriage
preeclampsia
pre-term birth
retarded fetus intrauterine growth
post-partum hypothyroidism and auto-immune thyroiditis

To ensure an optimal pregnancy outcome, Dr. Leonidas Duntas recommends that physicians take an individualized approach and prescribe dietary and supplemental selenium intakes that are tailored to the pregnant woman’s needs.

Why is Adequate Selenium Important for Pregnant Women?

Selenium is an essential trace element. Its intake and status in the blood plasma can vary considerably according to a number of factors [Duntas 2020]:

differences in diet and nutrition
differences in soil and plant selenium content
ethnic differences
genetic differences

Without a blood selenium test, it is not possible to know whether women planning a pregnancy have sufficient circulating selenium. The Mayo Clinic reports that the normal selenium concentration in adult human blood serum in the United States is 70 to 150 micrograms per liter with a population mean value of 98 micrograms per liter. 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: December 2020

Selenium Supplementation and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Selenium and Rheumatoid Arthritis Studies

Adequate Selenium for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Low Selenium Status and At-Risk Pregnancies

Why is Adequate Selenium Important for Pregnant Women?