Ganoderma
To Fight Osteoarthritis & Multiple Other Chronic Diseases, Make Sure You Get Enough Selenium
Selenium, a trace mineral that is essential to health, is emerging
as a nutrition powerhouse -- yet few people are aware of its
importance, or where to get it.
Most recently, a study by researchers at the University of North
Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Thurston Arthritis Center found that
low levels of selenium are linked to knee osteoarthritis, the most
common type of arthritis. The study, which began 15 years ago and
involves 940 people, found:
For every additional tenth of a part per million of selenium,
participants' risk of knee osteoarthritis decreased 15-20
percent.
Those with lower-than-normal levels of selenium in their
systems had a higher risk of the condition in one or both
knees.
The severity of participants' arthritis was related to how
low their selenium levels were.
"We are very excited about these findings because no one had
ever measured body selenium in this way in relationship to
osteoarthritis," said study leader Dr. Joanne Jordan of UNC.
"Our results suggest that we might be able to prevent or delay
osteoarthritis of the knees and possibly other joints in some
people if they are not getting enough selenium. That's important
because the condition, which makes walking painful, is the leading
cause of activity limitation among adults in developed countries,"
Jordan said.
Selenium: An Antioxidant Powerhouse Against Disease
When you consume selenium, it's incorporated into proteins to
make selenoproteins -- potent antioxidant enzymes that help prevent
cellular damage from free radicals.
Selenoproteins also help regulate thyroid function and the
immune system, according to the National Institutes of Health
Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). It is also known to be
protective against a host of chronic diseases, aside from
osteoarthritis.
Cancer: Selenium is thought to protect against cancer
through its antioxidant content.
It also may slow or prevent tumor
growth by enhancing the immune system and suppressing blood vessels
to the tumor. Studies on the topic have yielded interesting
results:
Death from lung, colorectal and prostate cancers is lower among
people with higher levels/intake of selenium.
Nonmelanoma skin cancer occurs more frequently in areas of the
United States that have little selenium in their soil.
In a 1983-1990 study, those taking a daily selenium supplement
had a significantly lower rate of prostate, colorectal, lung and
total cancers than those who did not.
Heart disease: As noted by the ODS, a lower antioxidant
intake has been linked with a greater incidence of heart disease.
Further, selenium may limit the oxidation of bad (LDL)
cholesterol, which may help prevent coronary artery
disease.
HIV: Antioxidant nutrients like selenium may help slow
the progression of HIV/AIDS. A deficiency of the nutrient is also
linked to decreased immune cell counts, increased disease
progression and a high risk of death among people with
HIV/AIDS.
Cognitive decline: Low levels of selenium have been
linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease in the
elderly.
Cataracts and macular degeneration: Selenium's
antioxidant activity fights free radicals that may damage the eye's
lens and macula at the center of the retina. This may help prevent
cataracts and macular degeneration, which are the two most common
causes of blindness in elderly Americans.
Cold sores and shingles: Cold sores and shingles that
erupt from the herpes virus may be suppressed by selenium because
it boosts the immune system.
One study published in Agriculture
Research also found that mice with low levels of selenium were
particularly susceptible to herpes virus outbreaks.
The Best Ways to Increase Your Selenium Intake
"If you were just growing most of your own food in soil that did
not have much selenium and not eating vegetables and meat from
elsewhere, you could potentially get in trouble with selenium
deficiency," Jordan said. That's because the selenium content of
your food is highly dependent on the level of selenium in the soil
where the food was grown.
In the United States, for instance, soil in northern Nebraska
and the Dakotas have very high levels of selenium.
So high, in
fact, that people living in these areas typically have the highest
selenium intakes in the country, says the ODS.
Soil in certain areas of China and Russia, on the other hand,
are known to contain very low levels of the mineral, and deficiency
is often reported in these regions.
Since most people in the United States generally eat food from a
variety of regions, low soil levels of selenium usually don't
present a problem. Still, there are certain foods to focus on if
you want to be sure you have enough selenium in your system.
Try
snacking on:
Brazil nuts (one nut contains 120 mcg, about twice the
Recommended Daily Allowance)
Tuna, cod and flounder
Oysters and shrimp
Chicken and turkey
Beef
Oats
Brown rice
Eggs
Wheat germ
Sunflower seeds
The best way to get selenium is from foods, as it is possible to
overdose on this nutrient.
High blood levels of selenium can result in selenosis, a
condition that results in mild nerve damage, gastrointestinal
upset, hair loss, fatigue, irritability, white blotchy nails and a
garlic odor on the breath. The most selenium an adult should get
in a day is 400 micrograms, according to the Institute of
Medicine's tolerable upper intake level.
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