{"id":328,"date":"2017-03-02T08:41:04","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T08:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/?p=328"},"modified":"2017-03-06T21:56:18","modified_gmt":"2017-03-06T21:56:18","slug":"selenium-heart-muscle-tissue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/index.php\/selenium-heart-muscle-tissue","title":{"rendered":"Selenium and heart muscle tissue"},"content":{"rendered":"
Daily nutritional supplementation with a combination of organic high-selenium yeast and Coenzyme Q10 for four years slowed the decline of heart function that is frequently associated with ageing.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The heart muscle tissue is frequently the first tissue in humans to suffer damage caused by selenium deficiency.\u00a0 When the cell membranes in the heart muscle tissue are damaged by the action of harmful free radicals (this is called oxidative damage), many of the healthy heart muscle cells are replaced by fibrous tissue.\u00a0 The resulting condition is called cardiomyopathy.
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\n Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle in which the heart is enlarged, thick, and rigid [Mayo Clinic].\u00a0 As the cardiomyopathy worsens, the weakened heart muscle is less and less able to pump adequate quantities of blood to carry oxygen and nutrients to the cells and tissues throughout the body.\u00a0 Eventually, symptoms such as shortness of breath, early fatigue, and swelling in the legs and feet and abdomen appear, the symptoms of chronic heart failure.
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6 million cases of chronic heart failure in the USA<\/strong>
\nCardiomyopathy is one of the major causes of chronic heart failure.\u00a0 Approximately six million Americans suffer from chronic heart failure.\u00a0 Approximately 700,000 new cases of heart failure develop each year [Columbia Doctors]. Quality of life is often severely diminished for chronic heart failure patients.<\/p>\n

Selenium\u2019s antioxidant defense function<\/strong>
\nOne of the major biological functions of selenium is to be incorporated into the amino acid selenocysteine, which, itself, becomes a constituent component of antioxidant enzymes such as the glutathione peroxidases, the thioredoxin reductases, and selenoprotein P.\u00a0 These selenoproteins serve to neutralize the oxidative damage caused by harmful free radicals.\u00a0 If unchecked, the free radicals will damage proteins and cell membranes, cell DNA, and cell lipids.<\/p>\n

Selenium\u2019s anti-inflammatory effect<\/strong>
\nThe antioxidant function of selenium is a critical one for all of us and especially for individuals at risk of heart disease.\u00a0 Additionally, selenium has an anti-inflammatory effect, which may help to lessen the impact of heart disease.\u00a0 For example, lowered selenium levels are known to be common following heart surgery; administration of selenium can have anti-inflammatory effects and can prevent endothelial dysfunction [Fink].<\/p>\n

What is endothelial dysfunction?\u00a0 The endothelium is the layer of cells lining the inside of the blood vessels and the heart. These endothelial cells release factors that have the effect of dilating or constricting the blood vessels and thus increasing or decreasing blood pressure. Both Coenzyme Q10<\/a> and the selenium<\/a> containing glutathione peroxidases and thioredoxin reductases are known to be necessary for the proper functioning of the endothelial cells.<\/p>\n

Dr. Urban Alehagen and his research team conducted a four-year randomized controlled trial of the effect of daily supplementation with high selenium yeast tablets and Coenzyme Q10 capsules on elderly citizens still living at home. Compared with placebo, the combination of the two nutritional supplements significantly reduced the risk of death from heart disease. Follow-up studies undertaken 10 years after the start of the four-year supplementation showed that the protective effect persisted.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oxidative damage in heart disease<\/strong>
\nProfessor Urban Alehagen, Link\u00f6ping University, Sweden, states that increased oxidative stress is strongly implicated in the development and severity of both ischemic heart disease and chronic heart failure [Alehagen & Aaseth, 2015].<\/p>\n

We have described heart failure above.\u00a0 Ischemic heart disease is heart disease caused by reduced blood supply to the heart.\u00a0 Typically, ischemic heart disease is caused by reduced or blocked blood flow in the coronary arteries, which is a consequence of atherosclerosis (the build-up of plaque inside the walls of the arteries).<\/p>\n

Selenium\u2019s special interaction with Coenzyme Q10<\/strong>
\nBoth selenium, in the antioxidant selenoproteins glutathione peroxidase and selenoprotein P, and Coenzyme Q10<\/a>, in its reduced form ubiquinol, have an antioxidant function. Both serve to lessen the extent of oxidative stress [Alehagen & Aaseth 2015].<\/p>\n

Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 and oxidative stress<\/strong>
\nOxidative stress can be defined as an unhealthy imbalance between harmful free radicals and protective antioxidants.\u00a0 Oxidative damage is, then, the damage caused to cells by a surplus of harmful free radicals.<\/p>\n

Oxidative damage<\/a> is implicated both in chronic diseases such as heart disease and in the ageing process.\u00a0 The mitochondria \u2013 the so-called \u201cenergy factories\u201d inside the cells \u2013 and other components of the cells are necessarily producing free radicals as they perform their intended metabolic functions.<\/p>\n

Selenium and Coenzyme Q10 and free radicals
\n<\/strong>Free radicals are unstable and very reactive molecules that can trigger harmful chains of chemical reactions.\u00a0 Some free radicals are needed for cell signaling activities and for gene expression and for apoptosis (programmed cell death that eliminates ageing cells and damaged cells in a controlled way).<\/p>\n

The theory of oxidative damage holds that a surplus of free radicals can cause extensive cell and DNA damage, leading to chronic degenerative diseases and to accelerated ageing.\u00a0 Antioxidants<\/a> such as the selenium-dependent enzymes and Coenzyme Q10 neutralize the excesses of free radical activity.<\/p>\n

The KiSel-10 study supplementation with selenium and Coenzyme Q10<\/strong>
\nBeginning in 2013, Professor Alehagen and his team of researchers have been reporting the results of the KiSel-10 study<\/a>, a well-controlled, four-year study in which healthy elderly citizens were given a daily supplement consisting of 200 micrograms of an organic high-selenium yeast preparation and 200 milligrams of Coenzyme Q10 or matching placebos.\u00a0 The Coenzyme Q10 used was the same Coenzyme Q10 used in the Q-Symbio study<\/a> done with chronic heart failure patients [Mortensen 2014].<\/p>\n

Research results of the KiSel-10 selenium and Coenzyme Q10 study<\/strong>
\nProfessor Alehagen and his research team have reported the following results for the study participants taking the selenium and Coenzyme Q10 supplements as compared with the study participants taking placebo supplements [Alehagen 2013, 2105]:<\/p>\n