Anti-inflammation Archives - Seleniumfacts.com

Less systemic inflammation. Better immune function. Selenium is an essential trace element. Our cells cannot synthesize it. We must get it as a part of our diets. Adequate intakes are necessary for optimal immune system function.

Man in wheelchair at the beach — Autoimmune diseases develop when our own immune system malfunctions and attacks our cells. Then we suffer from autoimmune thyroid disorders, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or a hundred other autoimmune diseases.

Unfortunately, many of us live in regions with selenium-poor soil and selenium-poor crops and fruits. We do not get sufficient selenium from our food [Stoffaneller & Morse 2015]. Adequate selenium intake and status are vital. There are increased health risks associated with selenium deficiency.

What Defines Selenium Deficiency?

Data from the BIOSTAT-CHF observational cohort study indicate that serum selenium concentrations under 70 mcg/L constitute a deficiency status. Serum selenium concentrations under 100 mcg/L constitute a sub-optimal status [Bomer 2020]. read more

Antioxidants. Several selenoproteins play important roles as antioxidant enzymes in the protection of the cells and the mitochondria against the oxidative damage caused by harmful free radicals. Prominent among the antioxidant seleno-enzymes are the glutathione peroxidases and the thioredoxin reductases [Alehagen 2022].

Professor Urban Alehagen, the lead researcher on the KiSel-10 Study, estimates that a daily selenium intake of 110-150 mcg per day is necessary to achieve optimal expression of selenoprotein P, one of the most important selenoproteins in the plasma and the main transporter of selenium in the blood [Alehagen 2022].

Note: Oxidative stress is the bio-medical term for an imbalance in the relationship of 1) harmful free radicals, mostly of the reactive oxygen species, and 2) protective antioxidants, which should neutralize the harmful free radicals.

In many regions of the world, notably in much of Europe and the Middle East, there is selenium-poor soil and selenium-poor foodstuffs. In Sweden, for example, the average daily intake of selenium among senior citizens
is approximately 35 mcg/day, well below the amounts (110–150 mcg/day) needed for an optimal expression of the selenoprotein antioxidants [Alehagen 2022].
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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.

Tag: Anti-inflammation

Selenium Deficiency and Immune Function

What Defines Selenium Deficiency?

Antioxidant Action of Selenium and Selenoproteins