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February 29th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda TUESDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) — While getting the right
amount of selenium in your diet can boost your immune function and lower
your risk of death, you can get too much of a good thing.
Higher-than-normal levels of selenium may contribute to the development of
type 2 diabetes, hair loss and certain cancers, a new review of evidence
finds.
“There is a U-shaped relationship between selenium intake and health.
As selenium intake goes up from a low value, health improves until the
bottom of the U-shaped curve is reached, but then adverse — or even
toxic — effects begin to be seen,” said Margaret Rayman, the author of
the review of selenium research, and a professor of nutritional medicine
at the University of Surrey, in England.
Selenium is a mineral found in a variety of foods. The amount of
selenium in foods depends largely on where you live, as the selenium
content in the soil varies. Selenium enters the food chain through plants,
Rayman said. And, when animals consume the plants, they also consume
selenium. Common sources of selenium include Brazil nuts, fish, poultry
and wheat. Selenium is also available in supplement form.
Intake of selenium is high in Venezuela, Canada, the United States and
Japan, according to background information in Rayman‘s review, while it’s
lower in Europe and some areas of China.
The average daily intake recommendations for selenium are 60 micrograms
per day for men and 53 micrograms per day for women, according to the
research.
For the study, Rayman searched medical literature to find previously
completed studies on selenium. The results of that review appear online
Feb. 29 in The Lancet.
Rayman found that daily intake of selenium varied from as little as 7
micrograms per day to as much as 4,990 micrograms per day. In Europe, the
average intake was 40 micrograms per day, and in the United States, the
average daily intake was 93 micrograms for women and 134 micrograms for
men. Selenium supplements are likely part of this intake, Rayman said.
That may be especially true in the United States where about half the
population takes dietary supplements. Selenium is often found in
multivitamins.
Rayman found several studies linking low selenium intake to a higher
risk of dying from all causes as well as from cancer.
There’s also some evidence that selenium levels can affect immune
system function. Rayman found studies that suggest that selenium
supplementation decreased hospital admissions due to infection for people
who have HIV.
Selenium also plays an important role in brain function, according to
the review. In a study of adults older than 65, performance assessments of
coordination were worse in people who had low selenium levels. There was
also an increased incidence of Parkinson’s disease in people with low
selenium. Too little selenium may also increase the risk of dementia, the
review found.
“Low selenium status has been associated with higher risk of mortality,
poorer immune function and cognitive [brain] decline,” Rayman said.
“Increasing selenium intake can help our ability to handle viruses,
increase successful male and female reproduction, and reduce the risk of
autoimmune thyroid disease. There is also some evidence that selenium may
reduce the risk of cancer.”
But, higher levels of selenium don’t come without risk. People with the
highest levels of selenium intake may have a greater risk of type 2
diabetes, non-melanoma skin cancers, hair loss and skin rashes, according
to Rayman.
A supplement industry spokesman weighed in on the findings.
“There are many established benefits of selenium, and if you don’t get
adequate intake, you may be forgoing those benefits. There’s a small
amount of evidence that too much of anything may have a risk, but there’s
a U-shaped curve, which means with too little, there are clear risks,”
said Duffy MacKay, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for
the Council for Responsible Nutrition.
MacKay noted that Americans likely have normal or higher levels of
selenium because they take supplements. “I wouldn’t want these results to
be interpreted to mean that people should stop taking supplements,” he
said.
So, how can you be sure you’re getting adequate levels without getting
too much? One way is to get a blood test to assess your current selenium
levels.
However, if you don’t get a blood test, Rayman said, “One can be fairly
confident that in North America, additional selenium isn’t needed, but the
same may well not be true in Europe.”
Rayman said that people generally don’t need to be concerned about the
amount of selenium in their diets. The only food that might provide
higher-than-recommended amounts when consumed frequently is Brazil nuts,
she said.
More information
Learn more about selenium from the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
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