Selenium Counters Thyroid and Intestinal Disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's and Cancer

Selenium plays a pivotal role in countless metabolic processes. This micronutrient protects the body from environmental pollutants, oxidative stress, and the unwanted side effects of drugs. In fact, the immune system leans on dietary selenium for adequate responses to outside intruders.

Low selenium levels cause our physiological systems to suffer. Tissues in the brain and the endocrine system utilize the mineral for proper function. All of us wish for cognitive and hormonal health, pain reduction, and physical improvements—therefore, it is important to understand the effects selenium has on our general well-being.

Benefits of Selenium

Selenocysteine and selenoproteins are organic forms of selenium present in our bodies.
“Selenoproteins act as antioxidant warriors for thyroid regulation, male-fertility enhancement, and anti-inflammatory actions,” according to a review published in the journal Inflammopharmacology.

By regulating excess amounts of free radicals at a site of injury, these proteins control inflammatory cytokines and reduce oxidative stress, making them key to the wound healing processes.

A recently published cohort study was the topic of an article written by Epoch Times health reporter Jennifer Sweenie and goes into detail on the connection between selenium and Parkinson’s disease. In addition, this micronutrient can also counter thyroid disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.

Thyroid Gland and Human Reproduction

As one of the essential trace elements, selenium stabilizes hormonal imbalances, which frequently impact fertility. Unfortunately, the mineral is rarely studied in connection with the endocrine system and infertility—a critique that researchers pose in a 2021 review. They emphasize the importance of making exactly that connection, as selenium deficiency can lead to several thyroid disorders, including problems with reproduction.

According to the study, data suggests “that Se [selenium] supplementation is beneficial in restoring ovarian function and minimizing pregnancy-related complications.” Likewise, the study said, selenium supplementation enhances sperm fertility.

Another 2021 review published in the journal Molecules confirms those findings and calls the trace mineral “a pillar for thyroid functioning.” Researchers also note selenium’s potential for positive effects on autoimmune thyroid disorders such as Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

A 2023 article published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology indicates that treatment with selenium increases “the quality of life” in patients with Graves’ disease and delays the advancement of the disorder.

People suffering from Hashimoto’s thyroiditis should benefit from selenium supplements as well. According to the paper, the element is linked to “improved thyroid ultrasound structure” and lower levels of thyroid peroxidase, a type of thyroid antibody that can form in thyroid auto-immune diseases.

Immunostimulant and Brain Health

The benefits of the so-called element of life go further. A 2023 review highlights the micronutrient’s important role in supporting essential physiological functions.

The review points to selenium’s immunostimulant capabilities, but also highlights its positive effects on “brain function, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, and heavy metal-based illness.”

The scientists found that selenium displays its antioxidant qualities specifically in organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys, as well as the thyroid gland and the brain, by removing free radicals produced by mitochondria.

Two small cohort studies cited in another review indicated that plasma selenium “has been reported as lower in AD [Alzheimer’s disease] patients compared with healthy elderly.” This confirms the findings of an earlier Japanese animal study that noted that a deficiency of selenium “could possibly promote the onset and/or progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia.”

Physiological Systems and Intestinal Disease

The International Journal of Molecular Science featured a paper investigating selenium’s impact on intestinal illnesses. Researchers claim that the element alleviates inflammatory bowel disease and that organisms can easily absorb the micronutrient for immediate utilization.

Additionally, epidemiological studies, the article notes, have shown that patients suffering from ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease display reduced selenium serum levels.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are types of inflammatory bowel diseases. Whereas ulcerative colitis is characteristically limited to inflammation in the colon, Crohn’s disease involves the entirety of the digestive tract, including the upper gastrointestinal pathways.

A pilot study emphasized the importance of dietary supplementation with selenium to ease colitis. Animal models connected selenium deficiency with the loss of epithelial layers and serious inflammation of the colon.

Researchers pointed to additional in vitro and in vivo studies that find selenium could be a “potential therapeutic drug” for patients suffering from Crohn’s disease, as clinical evidence revealed that these individuals display low selenium blood levels.

Anticancer Qualities of Selenium

Selenium has been studied for decades. As early as 1997, a clinical trial with 41 cancer patients found that the element was able to protect their kidneys from the side effects of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, while at the same time reducing bone marrow suppression.

In a 2023 animal study, researchers observed the anticancer effects of high-dose sodium selenite, which is the inorganic, lab-produced form of selenium, on ovarian cancer. In this case, sodium selenite was administered intravenously. Results indicated that the treatment induced “cell death in ovarian cancer cells.”

Selenium and gene variants of selenoproteins were also found to influence the risk of colorectal cancer. A 2012 journal article features the key role of the element on epithelial health in the colon and, accordingly, the ability to fight intestinal oxidative and microbial stress.

Researchers stated that low selenium intake might “lead to increased risk of pre-neoplastic lesions.”

Selenium Warnings and Nutritional Education

Whether it’s selenium’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, or thyroid hormone-producing quality, we might all benefit from checking in on our selenium levels. Especially since too much selenium can cause adverse reactions.

Researchers who lauded the element in their publication in the journal Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine, also provided words of warning: “The narrow range between therapeutic and toxic doses of selenium, as well as the dependence of its effect on the applied form, dose and method of treatment, make the choice of the most effective supplement a very complex issue.”

Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

An article in the Lancet emphasized that those with adequate or high selenium levels shouldn’t take supplements of this micronutrient. Only individuals with low selenium status benefit from supplementary intake.

Although past studies have often linked high levels of selenium to a potential increase in Type 2 diabetes risk, a 2022 review states that “recent clinical and animal studies have indicated that both insufficient and excessive Se intakes may increase risk of type 2 diabetes.”

Take your pick.

Personally, I stick with the “everything in moderation” approach. A balanced diet includes dietary selenium, which is important to human health in many ways, as another review outlines in detail.

You might want to ask your doctor to check your selenium levels next time you get your bloodwork done. You can also check the daily recommended dosages on the National Institutes for Health website.

Sources of Dietary Selenium

It’s imperative to note that selenium can’t be synthesized in our bodies, and needs to be absorbed within the gastrointestinal tract via digestive processes—either through food or supplementation. According to an article in the American Journal of Physiology, the liver plays a crucial role “because of [its] high extraction capacity and the fact that it is the first organ through which the blood from the intestine passes.”

Therefore, educate yourself on how to eat healthily, or ask your doctor if a selenium supplement would benefit you.

Selenium is found in grain and dairy products, meat and eggs, as well as seafood.

A single Brazil nut can satisfy the recommended daily dose. Other nutritional sources of selenium include beets, a variety of nuts, pumpkins, sprouts, black pepper, and shitake mushrooms.

Selenium-Rich Herbs

In an analysis of 26 herbs and aromatic plants for their selenium content, a team of Turkish scientists highlighted sweet basil as the winner in their publication in the journal Natural Product Communications.

The traditional Chinese herb dong quai, also known by its botanical name Angelica sinensis and commonly called female ginseng, was the topic of a 2024 study. Modified selenium nanoparticles were extracted from the plant’s polysaccharides, confirming the antioxidant qualities of selenium and its effects on “oxidative stress levels and inhibiting the production of inflammation,” making it protective for the liver.

Other herbs and spices displaying medicinal selenium qualities are purslane, fennel seeds, rosemary, turmeric, and eucommia.

Making smart and yummy culinary choices, such as adding sweet basil to your next salad, rosemary to a chicken dish, or turmeric to your morning latte will assist with extra selenium intake if needed.

Historical Facts of Selenium

Selenium was first discovered by the “Father of Swedish chemistry” Jons Jacob Berzelius in 1817. He named the semi-metallic element after selènè, the Greek name for moon.

Although rarely found in its elemental form, researchers learned, that selenium was an active compound in animal forage and grains in the 1930s.

Studies conducted on lab animals indicated in 1936 that high dietary levels of the element inhibited growth, caused vomiting and spasms, dyspnea, and possible death. Farmers received an answer to why their livestock was suffering from elevated selenium levels; the animals were eating too many plants of the Astragalus genus.

In 1937, a field study was conducted on the rural populations of Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska, investigating what the title calls a “Selenium Problem in Relation to Public Health.” Conclusions were undefinable and researchers didn’t discover any causal relationship between selenium-enriched urine and ill-health of the participants.

Yet, the narrative stuck that selenium not only caused alkali disease in livestock but also symptoms of poisoning in humans.

This narrative continued until 1958, when scientist Klaus Schwarz and his colleague Calvin Foltz researched selenium’s health impacts in rats and noted in their publication that the element prevented liver necrosis. These positive findings were later confirmed in another animal study.

Henceforth, research about selenium and its effects on human health was more concerted—and is still ongoing.

Note: This article is not intended to diagnose or treat. Always consult your health practitioner before beginning a supplement program.

Reposted from: https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/selenium-counters-thyroid-and-intestinal-disease-alzheimers-and-cancer-5660282

Related: The Importance of Selenium for Health and Disease Prevention