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Impact of Selenium Status on Biological Aging

Aging. Getting up in years. Striving to live as long as possible and to be as strong and healthy as possible. At some point, good health becomes a more important concern than wealth. Optimal selenium status is important to good health [Alehagen 2021].

Professor Jan Aaseth
Professor Jan Aaseth, MD, PhD, researcher in internal medicine, endocrinology, and toxicology and specialist in selenium research.

In a review article, Professor Urban Alehagen and Professor Jan Aaseth list the following conditions associated with biological aging [Alehagen 2021]:

  • chronic mild to moderate systemic inflammation
  • detrimental DNA alterations
  • mitochondrial dysfunction
  • oxidative stress caused by harmful free radicals
  • telomere shortening

Getting old is inevitable. Biological aging necessarily involves a weakening of the immune system and increased susceptibility to diseases and environmental stresses.

Selenium deficiency associated with aging and aging-related diseases

Selenium deficiency is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation [Alehagen 2021].

Mitochondrial injuries are an important factor in the aging of human cells.  A by-product of the mitochondrial generation of ATP energy in the cells is the production of reactive oxygen species, some of which are useful and some of which are harmful. The leakage of these harmful free radicals from the mitochondrial respiratory chain increases with age, which results in cellular oxidative damage, whenever there are not enough antioxidants to neutralize the effects of the free radicals. read more

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Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation To Prevent Heart Disease

Heart disease prevention. In the KiSel-10 Study, combined supplementation of community living senior citizens for four years with an organic high selenium yeast (200 mcg selenium/day) and Coenzyme Q10 in the ubiquinone form (2 x 100 mg/day) prevented an increase in fibroblast growth factor 23 and reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease [Alehagen Feb 2022].

what is fibroblast growth Factor 23?
Prof. Urban Alehagen
Prof. Urban Alehagen was among the first cardiologists to suspect that low selenium intakes might increase the risk of death from heart disease. He designed and conducted the KiSel-10 Study to test the hypothesis that combined selenium and Coenzyme Q10 supplementation might reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Professor Urban Alehagen explains that fibroblast growth factor 23 is a hormone that is secreted primarily from the osteocytes (i.e., mature bone cells) into the blood. From the blood circulation, the hormone acts on fibroblast growth factor receptors in the heart, intestine, kidney, and parathyroid gland [Alehagen Feb 2022].

Fibroblast growth factor 23 is mainly active in the metabolism of vitamin D and phosphorus. However, there have been reports that indicate an association between increased fibroblast growth factor 23 levels and cardiovascular mortality even in the patients with no sign of kidney disease [Alehagen Feb 2022]. read more

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Adjuvant Treatment of Graves’ Hyperthyroidism with Selenium Yeast

Thyroid disease. Hyperthyroidism. Adjuvant treatment of thyroid disease with selenium yeast supplementation. All topics of interest. At this writing (August 2022), we await the publication of the outcomes of the GRASS clinical trial. GRASS is the acronym for the selenium supplementation for patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism study [study protocol described by Watt 2013].

What is Graves’ Hyperthyroidism?

Thyroid gland
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland in the neck below the Adam’s apple that makes and stores hormones that help regulate blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, and the rate at which food is converted into energy. [This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.]
Hyperthyroidism is an autoimmune disease. It causes overactivity of the thyroid gland, resulting in too much production of the hormone thyroxine. Hyperthyroidism can cause an acceleration of the body’s metabolism; it can cause weight loss and rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Hyperthyroidism is caused by a number of conditions, including Graves’ disease, which is a common cause. Graves’ disease is the result of immune system disorder. It can affect anyone, but it is more common in women and in individuals under the age of 40. read more

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Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 Slow Down Telomere Shortening

Anti-aging effects. Longevity.  Telomere length.  Daily supplementation of senior citizens with selenium and Coenzyme Q10 for 42 months slowed down telomere shortening and reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease [Opstad 2022]. The two substances in combination — selenium and Coenzyme Q10 — may be the key to slowing down biological ageing.

What Are Telomeres? Why Are They Important?
Prof Urban Alehagen
The latest sub-study of the KiSel-10 Study data shows that combined selenium and CoQ10 supplementation not only reduces the risk of death from heart disease but also has anti-ageing properties. Pictured here: Professor Urban Alehagen.

Telomeres are the segments of DNA sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes from becoming frayed or tangled. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres become a little bit shorter. When, with increasing age, the telomeres become too short, the cell cannot divide successfully, and the cell dies [National Human Genome Research Institute 2022]. read more

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Breast Cancer Recurrence and Selenoprotein P Autoimmunity

Breast cancer prognosis is especially poor in patients with low serum selenium and serum selenoprotein P concentrations. Now, researchers have discovered natural autoantibodies with antagonistic properties to selenoprotein P uptake in breast cancer patients and  in patients with thyroid disease [Demircan 2022; Sun 2022].

Autoimmunity
Autoimmunity is the production of antibodies against the tissues or substances of one’s own body, resulting in an autoimmune disease or hypersensitivity reaction. Autoantibodies to Selenoprotein P impair the transport of the essential trace element selenium in breast cancer patients and in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients.

Selenium is an essential trace element that has numerous biological functions in the body, most of which are carried out by selenium-containing selenoproteins. Among the more important selenoproteins are selenoprotein P, the main transporter of selenium in the blood, and glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3), an important antioxidant.

The human body does not synthesize selenium. Human cells are dependent upon selenium sources in the diet. Unfortunately, the selenium content in the soil and in food varies considerably from region to region in the world. For example, the plasma selenium concentrations in people living in much of Europe are generally below, often well below, 80–90 mcg/L whereas people living in North America generally have plasma selenium levels above 120 mcg/L [Alehagen 2022]. read more

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Selenium Exposure Studies

Selenium exposure in the diet and in supplements: in this review article, we summarize the key outcomes of the best selenium exposure studies.

Optimal Selenium Intake and Status

In his review of the available research literature, Professor Urban Alehagen, Linköping University, Sweden, concluded that a daily intake of 100–150 mcg of selenium per day is required.

This is the intake level that enables an optimal expression of the important selenoprotein P that transports selenium from the liver to peripheral tissues [Alehagen 2022].  For other selenoproteins to be optimized, i.e., to be fully expressed, Prof. Alehagen argues that selenium status of approximately 120 mcg/L when measured in red blood cells is necessary [Alehagen 2022]. read more

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Hashimoto’s Disease Patients Benefit from Selenium Supplementation

Hypothyroidism is the medical condition caused by an underactive thyroid gland that is not producing sufficient quantities of thyroid hormones. It is the failure of the thyroid gland to function normally.

Jan Olav Aaseth
Endocrinologist Jan Aaseth, M.D., Ph. D., ERT, explains that, in Norway, the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease is made after a clinical examination that involves determination of the patient’s circulating levels of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone, and thyroperoxidase antibodies [Aaseth 2022].
The most common form of hypothyroidism is related to Hashimoto’s disease. Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disorder most common among middle-aged women. Symptoms include anxiety, dry skin, fatigue and lethargy, muscle aches and muscle stiffness, negative mood, sensitivity to cold, slow thinking and poor memory.

The standard treatment for Hashimoto’s disease is twofold:

1) treatment with a synthetic hormone called levothyroxine, which works like the T4 hormone that is naturally produced by the thyroid gland read more

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Serum Selenium Levels Predict Breast Cancer Prognosis

Research done in southern Sweden shows that three blood biomarkers of selenium availability correlated inversely with mortality from breast cancer. The lower the three selenium biomarker levels, the higher the mortality [Demircan 2021].

Breast cancer awareness
Assessment of selenium status at the time of breast cancer diagnosis identifies patients at exceptionally high risk for a poor prognosis. They are breast cancer patients with low levels of selenium, selenoprotein P, and glutathione peroxidase in their blood.

The blood biomarkers are:

  • Total selenium
  • Selenoprotein P
  • Glutathione peroxidase 3

Breast cancer patients with blood concentrations of these three selenium biomarkers in the highest quintile had significantly better chances of survival compared with patients whose blood levels of these substances were in the lowest quintile [Demircan 2021].

Breast cancer patients with low selenium status according to these three biomarkers had the highest mortality risk with an overall survival probability of approximately 50% after 8 years. The difference in survival between the breast cancer patients in the lowest selenium quintile compared to breast cancer patients with at least one biomarker in the highest quintile was especially notable [Demircan 2021]. read more

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Selenium Supplementation for Senior Citizens

Health benefits of daily supplementation of senior citizens with a combination of selenium and Coenzyme Q10:

  • improved heart function as shown on echocardiograms
  • reduced risk of death from heart disease
  • improved health-related quality of life
Professor Urban Alehagen
In the KiSel-10 Study, Prof. Urban Alehagen and the research team administered 200 mcg/day of selenium and 2 x 100 mg/day of Coenzyme Q10 for 48 months to elderly Swedish citizens whose serum selenium status at baseline was quite low (mean: 67.1 mcg/L). The duration of the study was 48 months. The benefits of the supplementation were improved heart function and reduced risk of death from heart disease.

The combined supplementation seems to work by reducing the extent of oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, and fibrosis in the study participants [Alehagen 2022a].

Now, data from the KiSel-10 Study show the following effects of the combined supplementation with respect to Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 concentrations in blood:

  • Supplementation decreased concentrations of FGF-23 hormones.
  • The study showed a relationship between the circulating level of the FGF-23 and atrial fibrillation.
  • The study showed an association between the concentration of FGF-23 and death from heart disease.
  • The study showed an effect of reduced FGF-23 levels on the risk of death from heart disease that is independent of the level of the cardiac wall tension bio-marker NT-proBNP.
  • There exists a close interrelationship between FGF-23 concentrations and kidney function.
Why are FGF-23 Concentrations Important?

Prof. Alehagen explains that FGF-23 is a hormone that is secreted into the blood circulation. One of its primary functions is the regulation of the vitamin D metabolism and of the phosphorous metabolism in the kidneys.

However, there seems to be an association between FGF-23 activity and cardiovascular mortality even in the absence of kidney disease. Experimental data show that FGF-23 may act as a mediator for cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, and cardiac dysfunction [Alehagen 2022b]. read more

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Selenium and Toxic Metals and the Ageing Kidney

In individuals older than 50-60 years, the kidneys’ glomerular filtration rate decreases with increasing age. The glomerular filtration rate is a measure of how well your kidneys are working. In your kidneys, there are tiny filters (called glomeruli) that remove waste and excess fluid from the blood.

Jan Aaseth
Jan Aaseth is a Norwegian physician and professor who has done extensive research in endocrinology, toxicology, and medical biochemistry. Here we summarize his review of the relationship between selenium status, heavy metal toxicity, and the kidneys.

Exposure to toxic metals – mercury, cadmium, lead – can be detrimental to kidneys of normal adults. Accordingly, exposure to toxic metals can affect individuals with reduced glomerular filtration rates even more adversely.

Professor Jan Aaseth and a team of researchers have reviewed the available research data. Their findings show the following relationships [Aaseth 2021]:

Elderly Individuals More Susceptible to Toxic Metal Exposure

Healthy elderly individuals are capable, for the most part, of maintaining normal kidney function. However, especially after the age of 70 years, physiological changes occur in the kidneys. read more