Selenium performs a significant role in several processes in the body. Even though it is present to a greater or lesser extent in every cell of the body, specific areas that are very rich in selenium are the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and spleen.
Selenium deficiency in your body can cause the following problems: cataracts, nail deformities, heart problems (increased heart rate), muscle cramps, slow growth, malignancy.
A diet rich in selenium
Therefore, your diet must contain foods that are rich in selenium. However, if you have a selenium deficiency, then some supplements that contain increased selenium concentrations are recommended. Most doctors today support the consumption of dietary supplements with selenium to achieve optimal levels of this mineral in the body. Recommended doses of selenium are as follows:
55 mcg every day for women
70 mcg every day for men
Patients suffering from some malignancy should consume 400 mcg of selenium.
The role of selenium in the fight against malignancy
Increasing the level of selenium in the blood reduces the risk of developing malignancy, but also, this compound plays a vital role in the treatment of malignant diseases.
Selenium is an integral part of several selenoproteins that play a significant role in several critical processes: conception, metabolism of thyroid hormones, DNA production, protection against oxidative damage, and protection against infection.
Researchers controlling the disease and its development, transmission, and origin have concluded that there is a strong link between selenium levels and the development of several types of malignancies, including malignancy of the bladder, colon, prostate, stomach, skin, lungs, and esophagus.
Statistics and research
Existing statistics show that people who had the maximum allowable concentration of selenium in their blood were 31% less likely to develop malignancy than people who had lower levels of selenium in their blood, and also had a 40% lower death rate in people who already have some form of malignancy compared to those with lower levels.
The US FDA announced in 2009 on its official website that “Selenium can reduce the risk of developing specific types of malignancy.” This certainly represented a leap in popularity for this biological mineral.
Sodium selenite
In the human body, various forms of individual compounds are used in different levels of concentration, consumed in a mixture with various types of proteins. Each configuration of compounds has its own characteristic set of objects. It should be emphasized that the 3 best configurations of selenium for the avoidance and treatment of malignancies are: sodium selenite, L-selenomethionine, and selenium menthyl L selenocysteine.
Perhaps the greatest dynamics in the destruction of cancer cells has inorganic sodium selenite, and its actions are as follows, which are explained and investigated in these studies:
Study of the effect of sodium selenite on induced apoptosis of human cervical cancer cells
Sodium selenite reduces oxidative DNA damage in BRCA1 mutation.
And other research related to sodium selenite.
Namely, sodium selenite has a very pronounced ability to create oxygen molecules that attack exclusively mitochondria that form in cancer cells. The specific protein BCL-2 is present in cancer cells, which prevents apoptosis. Sodium selenite usurps this protein and activates apoptosis. Sodium selenite also enhances the presence of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase in healthy tissue by stimulating its activities which are as follows:
Killing cancer cells
Protecting healthy cells, repairing DNA sequences, and strengthening the immune system
The above actions are part of the treatment that harmoniously manages malignancy development.
During the first part of 2009, German scientists from St. Josef Hospital in Wiesbaden discovered that men who suffer from benign prostatic hypertrophy had reduced selenium levels in their blood.
Another study in 2009 proved that selenoproteins have dominant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to inhibit prostate, colon, and rectal malignancies.
In March 2009, the Pen State College Cancer Research Clinic published a statement stating that combining vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, and kale with selenium added an even more effective effect on melanoma.
Chief researcher Professor Gavin Robertson states:
“Decreased concentration of selenium in the body of cancer patients is directly associated with the appearance of metastases.”
The professor also stated: “In research on prostate cancer and melanoma, it was determined that the protein AKT 3 matures and that its development is motivated by the presence of estrogen. It should be emphasized that there are no drugs that stopped it from developing, so the malignancy itself progresses. However, it has become apparent that selenium weakens the AKT 3 protein. “
In conclusion, in 2012 (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition), researchers from the Department of Nutrition at Norwich Medical School made a statement about selenium’s effects in preventing prostate malignancy. Their target of the investigation was the control of plasma aggregates of 13,254 actors and 5007 prostate malignancy cases. The relationship between plasma/selenium and prostate indicates that the risk of developing prostate cancer is reduced with levels up to 170ng / ml.
Selenium testing
In various studies looking at blood selenium levels in various people from different parts of the world, decreased selenium levels have always been associated with high malignancy levels.
In 1984, scientists from Kuopio University in Finland tested the blood on 8,000 men and women. In the following years, the development of malignancy was noticed in 128 respondents. When blood control was performed on people in whom the development of malignancy was not noticed, a deficiency was determined selenium. It was concluded that people with lower selenium levels are 3 times more likely to acquire malignancy. This phenomenon is primarily expressed in malignancies of the blood and colon.
Researchers performed one of the most significant experiments from the Group for Nutritional Preventive Action against Cancer (effects of selenium and its use in people with skin cancer) in 1996. In the same study, 500mg capsules enriched with 200 mcg of selenium were made, which patients consumed daily. The total number of respondents was 1312. It has been proven that in 17% of the cases, there was a decrease in mortality. In 37%, the incidence of malignancy was reduced.
Tests were also performed on the inhabitants of China, where there are areas rich in and poor in selenium and its intake during the diet. The investigation proved that people who do not consume selenium have a 20% increased probability of developing some form of malignancy.
In France, a seven-year SUV Max study involving 17,000 subjects who consumed vitamin C, E beta carotene, along with zinc and selenium, found 37% less chance of developing malignancy.
Glutathione selenium and chemotherapy
Glutathione peroxidase is a selenium-dependent enzyme, and 35 selenoproteins are involved in its functions. Studies have shown that inorganic selenium forms are less absorbed into the body than organic forms.
The drug Cisplatin used for chemotherapy can reduce selenium in the body. Numerous studies have stated that selenium can reduce the harmfulness of Cisplatin to a healthy part of the body.
