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Goepp
Selenium. Important Health Benefits from an Overlooked Trace Mineral
Goepp JG
LE Magazine November 2006
"What makes selenium unique? While scientists are still elucidating selenium’s role in a multitude of biochemical processes, one of its chief attributes is serving as a component of specific proteins called selenoproteins. Almost all of these proteins are active in the defense against reactive oxygen species (free radicals), which fuel numerous diseases and the aging process itself through their damaging effects on DNA and proteins.
"Selenoproteins and their antioxidant products scavenge cell-damaging free radicals. Selenium is the only mineral nutrient that has its own DNA code, which instructs the body’s protein-synthesis “machinery” to incorporate selenium into its host proteins. Scientists interpret this unique attribute as evidence of selenium’s fundamental importance to virtually all living things on Earth."
"Selenium is available in a number of different forms for supplementation, and each has slightly different uses and benefits. Ideally, a good supplement should contain all four of the following forms of selenium for broad-spectrum protection.
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In the form of the salt, sodium selenite, selenium has been used to reduce post-operative swelling that is related to the increased free radical stresses produced by surgery. Related beneficial effects are seen when sodium selenite is used to protect against radiation treatment-induced swelling and inflammation. Sodium selenite has also demonstrated dramatic immune-boosting function in patients with borderline low selenium status.
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The natural metabolite of selenium, selenodiglutathione, contains a selenium ion bonded to two molecules of the potent antioxidant glutathione. This compound appears to be heavily involved in the cancer chemoprotective effects of selenium, as demonstrated by its ability to stimulate apoptosis, the programmed cell death the body uses to purge itself of incipient cancers.
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The selenium-containing amino acid, L-selenomethionine, is an essential component of the selenoproteins involved in controlling autoimmune diseases. It is also selectively accumulated in prostate tissue, where it has been shown to have cancer-fighting activity. As a component of an “antioxidant cocktail,” L-selenomethionine can increase brain blood flow and scores on psychological testing in elderly people.
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Another selenium-containing amino acid complex, Se-methylselenocysteine, has especially great potential in the treatment of established cancers, where it has been shown to radically enhance the effects of traditional chemotherapy drugs while protecting against their toxicity. In one study, drug treatment alone was curative in only 30% of animals bearing human squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; that rate rose to 100% with the addition of methylselenocysteine."