What Are The Health Benefits Of Selenium?

What are the health benefits of selenium? Selenium is a strong antioxidant that fights off oxidative stress and protects against chronic illnesses and diseases such as cancer and heart disease. The antioxidant from selenium helps to keep free radical numbers in check.

Things like smoking, excessive alcohol and stress can cause an excess of free radicals which can be too much for the body. This can damage your healthy cells because of the oxidative stress.

Too much oxidative stress has been linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, cancer, stroke, etc. There was a review of up to 69 research studies that examined over 350,000 people who had a high blood level of selenium. And they were linked to a lower risk of certain cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer.

“Selenium is a strong antioxidant that fights off oxidative stress and protects against chronic illnesses and diseases such as cancer and heart disease.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike

The group that had a high blood level of selenium, the study revealed that the selenium they consumed was through foods.

Observational studies have shown that a 50% increase in selenium level was associated with a 24% reduction in heart disease.  

Improving Mental Decline

Studies have shown that antioxidants in food and supplements may improve memory in patients who have Alzheimer’s. High selenium foods like seafood and nuts have been linked to lowering the risk of onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Improving Thyroid Health

Selenium helps to protect your thyroid gland from any oxidative stress or damage. And it also plays a role in the production of thyroid hormones. There have been some observational studies that have shown that people that take selenium supplements may help people who have Hashimoto’s disease.  There was a research review study that showed that taking selenium supplements for 3 months resulted in lower thyroid antibodies

Helps To Boost Your Immune System

We all know that our immune system is what helps to fight off diseases, bacteria, viruses, and infections and keeps us healthy and well. The antioxidant in selenium helps to increase our immunity, reduce inflammation, and lower oxidative stress on the body.

Improve Asthma

Studies have shown that selenium supplements can help relieve asthmatic symptoms. There was a study that found that giving people with asthma 200mcg of selenium per day reduced their use of corticosteroid medications which is used to control their symptoms.

Some of the best foods to eat that have selenium are:

Brazil Nuts- 174% of the DV in one nut- (5 grams)

Halibut- 171% of the DV in 6 ounces- (159 grams)

Eggs- 56% of the DV in 2 large eggs (100 grams)

Sardines- 46% of the DV in 4 sardines- (48 grams)

Chicken Breast- 12% of the DV in 4 slices- (84 grams)

Some of the dangers of excessive selenium are:

• Hair Loss
• Dizziness
• Muscle Soreness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Muscle Soreness

The recommended amount of selenium is 55 mcg per day and anything above 400 mcg per day is too much and toxic.

The Bottom Line is selenium, a strong mineral that has antioxidants that can help fight off chronic diseases and illnesses. Selenium can be consumed through food or supplements. Some of the foods that are high in selenium are eggs, sardines, chicken breast, halibut, etc.

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References

1. National Institutes Of Health- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/
2. U.S Department of Agriculture- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html
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