What is selenium and where does it occur?
Selenium is a rare trace element, which is contained in different concentrations in the earth’s crust. In plants, it usually occurs in the form of selenium methionine.
The selenium content of the food is strongly dependent on the selenium occurrence in the soil.
Therefore, the concentration of selenium in the biosphere is subject to a large regional fluctuation range – and thus the selenium content varies equally from the crops and livestock living on it. In European latitudes, the selenium content in the soil and therefore also in food is relatively low.
Moreover, the selenium content depends not only on the geographical origin, but also on the protein content of the food. Because selenium is mainly contained in the protein fraction, this trace element is mainly found in fish, meat, offal, and nuts. The Brazil nut, in particular, has a very high selenium content, which provides approximately 70 – 90 µg per nut.
Furthermore, selenium is contained in the outer layers of cereal grains, but this is lost during processing into white flour.
In most parts of Europe, soils are particularly low in selenium, which means that plant food products have a low content and can contribute little to overall intake. According to studies, the requirements of selenium in Austria and Germany cannot generally be met through food. The diet can only meet the minimum requirement of the officially estimated reference value for adults of 30 – 70 µg selenium in daily use.
Experts recommend an intake of 100 – 200 micrograms/day.
Experts consider these values to be too low to enable an ideal course of all bodily functions or even the prevention of illnesses. Experts believe that a daily intake of 100 – 200 µg is required.
Why do you need selenium?
Selenium helps maintain normal nails and hair, supports the immune system, and protects DNA and cells from oxidative damage. Selenium is particularly important for the protection of the thyroid gland, because when thyroid hormones are combined, large amounts of oxygen radicals are formed that can oxidatively damage the tissue.
Selenium has anticarcinogenic effects
Selenium also helps to bind heavy metals and transport them out of the body, and thusly promotes the detoxification function and protects the liver cells. Due to its antioxidative effects, selenium is able to intervene protectively in the early phase of carcinogenesis. You can find out more about the role of selenium in protecting the liver here.
Clinical studies and epidemiological data have indicated that an increase in selenium intake due to its growth-inhibiting and cell-death-promoting effects on tumor cells has anticarcinogenic results. With an optimal selenium intake, it is possible that initiated cells can be better recognized and eliminated already in the early phase of carcinogenesis.
Selenium blocks the further development of already transformed cells and modulates the metabolism of carcinogenic compounds. A daily intake of 200 – 300 µg selenium is advantageous here. HIV-positive people also benefit from increased selenium supplementation. In addition to its immune-stimulatory effects, selenium may also inhibit the growth rate of the HIV virus.
Furthermore, an adequate supply of selenium plays an important role in wound healing, arthritis therapy and accompanying the ingestion of statins.
