For over 30 years I have been researching the health effects of the mineral selenium. I have looked at hundreds of studies from all over the world and I have treated thousands of patients, with selenium supplements. Selenium is a vital mineral for the immune system to function at its optimal level. It’s amazing to think that despite the profound importance of selenium to a strong immune system, many people remain deficient in this life enhancing mineral. Yes selenium deficiency is common in people of all age groups from the very young to the very old.

What are the consequences of selenium deficiency?

  • Increased susceptibility to infections of all types, especially viral infections, such as influenza and colds
  • Incurable warts
  • Increased severity of auto-immune disease and inflammatory problems
  • Increased risk of thyroid disorders, including thyroid cancer
  • Higher mortality rates from AIDS
  • Higher morbidity rates from chronic viral hepatitis (types B and C)
  • Increased incidence of many different types of cancer, especially breast, prostate, skin, colon and lung
The above consequences seem very serious; indeed most people get a shock that something as simple as selenium can be associated with such a diverse and significant range of common health problems. But it’s not really that surprising if you understand how selenium works in the body and how it can even protect the deepest part of your body’s cells – the nucleus which contains your precious genes (your DNA).

Selenium is a great protector

This is because it is required for the production of glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme necessary for detoxification and protection of the body against free radical damage.  Free radicals cause serious damage to cell membranes, mitochondria and  DNA, and they speed up the aging process. Selenium helps to minimize this damage.  Exposure to many types of environmental toxins increases your requirement for selenium. Selenium is sometimes called the “viral birth control pill” because it inhibits viral replication thus reducing viral loads in the body. Individuals who are deficient in selenium are more prone to developing multiple food and chemical sensitivities and allergic conditions such as asthma and hay fever. Selenium supplementation also helps the immune system to cope with autoimmune conditions such as Hashimotos thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative and scleroderma. Selenium has been found to reduce the risk of several types of cancer.  Laboratory experiments, clinical trials and epidemiological data have all proven selenium’s role in cancer prevention. Selenium is required for the production, activation and metabolism of thyroid hormone.  A healthy thyroid gland contains more selenium per gram than any other tissue in the body.  Mother Nature designed it this way for a reason! Selenium is required by the enzyme that converts T4 thyroid hormone (thyroxine) into its active form, T3 (triiodothyronine).  If you are deficient in selenium you will not be able to manufacture sufficient T3 and you may experience the symptoms of an under active thyroid gland, such as fatigue, muscle weakness, easy weight gain, depression and scalp hair loss.  A selenium deficiency can also contribute to the development of autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid nodules.

How to get enough selenium for good health

The selenium content of food is directly related to how much selenium was in the soil where the food was grown and many areas of the world have selenium deficient soils.  Normally selenium is found in organ meats, seafood, Brazil nuts, whole grains, brewer’s yeast, garlic, kelp, molasses, onions and medicinal mushrooms (reishi and shitake).  However, because selenium levels in the soil are unreliable, it is virtually impossible to obtain enough selenium through diet alone.

Can selenium become toxic?

Generally speaking selenium is very safe; however just because it’s good for you, does not mean the more you take the better off you will be. Like all nutrients we do not need to overdose and if you overdose on selenium, you can get side effects. The effects of selenium overdose include - brittle hair and nails, gastro-intestinal upset, neurological problems, skin rashes, fatigue and irritability. The toxic dose is considered to be over 800mcg daily for several months – there is no reason to take these huge amounts and generally speaking overdose comes from industrial pollution. A beneficial and safe daily dose of selenium in adults is 100mcg to 200mcg and it’s always good to get professional advice. Some people will need to take more than 100mcg daily to get the best results, and many of the studies done on selenium used a daily dose of 200mcg to achieve good outcomes. If you are an adult, you may need to take 200mcg daily for several months to build up your body’s stores to optimal levels and then reduce to a maintenance dose of 50 to 100mcg daily. The FNB has established Upper Limits for selenium from food and supplements.

Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for Selenium

Age

Male

Female

Pregnancy

Lactation
Birth to 6 months

45 mcg

45 mcg
7–12 months

60 mcg

60 mcg
1–3 years

90 mcg

90 mcg
4–8 years

150 mcg

150 mcg
9–13 years

280 mcg

280 mcg
14–18 years

400 mcg

400 mcg

400 mcg

400 mcg
19+ years

400 mcg

400 mcg

400 mcg

400 mcg

Case Histories

One of my patients had a recurrent plantar wart in the sole of his foot. It kept regrowing after surgery and was increasingly painful. I knew immediately that he was selenium deficient as a plantar wart is caused by a virus. I prescribed 200mcg of selenomethionine daily and within 6 weeks the plantar wart was gone – impressive eh! Several years ago I received an email from a concerned grandmother who asked me for help.  Her 5 year old granddaughter had undergone 4 surgeries to her larynx (vocal cords) to remove recurrent laryngeal warts. These warts were becoming larger and the doctors were looking at using strong anti-viral chemotherapy to inject into the warts on her vocal cords. I told this desperate grandmother that her granddaughter was extremely deficient in selenium and perhaps zinc and iodine. She may have also been gluten intolerant, as this aggravates selenium deficiency and weakens cellular immunity. Her granddaughter needed substantial doses of selenium, zinc, iodine and also needed to have her vitamin D levels checked. Unfortunately I never heard from her again. I have another patient who suffered terribly because her cellular immune system was not working efficiently. This had enabled the human papilloma virus (HPV) to spread rapidly in the mucous and epidermal layers of her anus and rectum and her cervix. She was a young woman who desired to have a family and was anxious this chronic infection would reduce her chances. There was nothing that conventional medicine or surgery could offer her. She did not have any other health problems such as anaemia, cancer or AIDS which could be causing immune incompetence. Without correcting the gut and liver issues of this patient we would not achieve complete success. She would require a large dose of selenium, say 400mcg daily, until this virus was controlled. Severe and/or chronic infections with the HPV virus can lead to cancer of the cervix, anus or rectum. Well known actress Farrah Fawcett died with this preventable cancer at a relatively young age

Research on Selenium

The amount of clinical, laboratory and epidemiological studies on selenium are vast and too much to list. Here are just a couple to interest you - In Germany, selenium is being used as an adjunctive cancer therapy. In a study German doctors evaluated the effects of selenium in women with breast and gynecological cancers. Here is a summary of their findings: "In pilot studies with low-dose selenite (up to 300 micrograms a day) the patients reported a better quality of life. Side effects were not reported. Analysis of the immune system reveal a stimulation of B19 lymphocytes and natural killer cells. In Germany, a country with selenium deficiency, clinical studies are now carried out on the effects of selenium as a drug to reduce side effects of chemo- and radiotherapy, enhance quality of life by reducing toxic side effects and help to restore immune function." A large-scale 9 year clinical study was published in the December 25, 1996 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association which showed that compared to placebo, people receiving a 200 mcg supplement of selenium had a 37% reduced risk of cancer incidence and a 50% reduction in cancer mortality. One finding that shows up repeatedly is that adults living in selenium deficient geographic areas have severely reduced life spans. In 25 cities in the United States, low selenium correlates with high rates of heart attack and cancer. If you would like to see our extensive list of references just email us. Also you can visit www.seleniumresearch.com The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.