Selenium is a trace element, which was discovered in 1817 by the Swedish chemist Berzelius.
One of the most effective naturally occurring weapons against cancer is, like most healthy things, something many of us are not getting enough of.
The mineral selenium has been shown in multiple studies to be an effective tool in warding off various types of cancer, including breast, esophageal, stomach, liver and bladder cancers.
Supplementation with selenium has been found to decrease the risk of prostate cancer.
Selenium is in the selenocysteine part of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, which detoxifies hydrogen peroxide and lipoperoxidases. Thus it is part of the antioxidative defense against free- radical damage generated by oxygen metabolism.
It was reported that daily supplementation of 200 micrograms of selenium can reduced the recurrence of a number of cancer types.
Not many people get the recommended dose of 200 micrograms a day. Most Americans only get between 60 and 100 micrograms of selenium daily from dietary sources. That means daily supplements might be worth considering.
Selenium was first used in conventional medicine as a treatment for dandruff, but our understanding of the mineral has come a long way since then.
Recent studies have found that’s selenium can play a significant rile in decreasing the incidence of tumors in experimenting animals.
Today, research shows selenium, especially when used in conjunction with vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene, works to block chemical reactions that create free radicals in the body (which can damage DNA and cause degenerative change in cells, leading to cancer).
Selenium also helps stop damaged DNA molecules from reproducing.
It contributes towards the death of cancerous and pre-cancer cells. Their death appears to occur before they replicate, thus helping stop cancer before it gets started.
In addition to preventing the onset of the disease, selenium has also been shown to aid in slowing cancer's progression in patients that already have it.
The use of selenium during chemotherapy in combination with vitamin A and vitamin E can reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs.
The mineral also helps enhance the effectiveness of chemo, radiation, and hyperthermia while minimizing damage to the patient's normal cells; thus making therapy more of a selective toxin.
In the study of 1,300 older people, the occurrence of cancer among those who took 200 micrograms of selenium daily for about seven years was reduced by 42 percent compared to those given a placebo.
While the study concluded the mineral helped protect against all types of cancer, it had particularly powerful impacts on prostate, colorectal and lung cancers.
Another study, showed that populations in areas with low selenium in the soil have been found to have higher cancer incidence.
The mineral selenium and cancer
