Did you know that researchers did not discover the importance of selenium until 1979? Did you also know that selenium levels in nature are becoming rare?

Selenium is a trace mineral, involved in many bodily processes. In fact, selenium is present in virtually every cell, but very abundant in the liver, kidneys, pancreas, testes and spleen. The body uses selenium to make enzymes and hormones, to detoxify harmful substances and to strengthen your immune system.

Selenium is found in the soil. Due to a variety of environmental conditions, levels of selenium are decreasing in many countries, including Canada, United States and England. When the levels of selenium are low in the soil that means that the foods grown in these soils will have low amount of selenium.

A lack of selenium in the diet can lead to higher incidences of cancer, immune problems, heart disease and inflammatory conditions. Insufficient intake of selenium during pregnancy could lead to birth defects. If you aren’t getting enough selenium, you may experience muscular weakness and fatigue:

“Selenium is an antioxidant that basically seeks and destroys cancer-causing free radicals before they damage the prostate. However, one of the best known food sources of selenium is whole-wheat bread. While whole-wheat anything is better than its refined counterpart, starches of any kind can sometimes be tricky on blood sugars. A simple alternative is to purchase selenium supplements…” (The Diabetes Blog)

Selenium and other antioxidants have also been shown to greatly slow down the aging process:

During antiaging research it was observed that people who consumed sufficient amount of antioxidant food showed lesser signs of aging than those who did not. Antioxidants make your immune system stronger and healthier, which combats the natural process of aging. (From Natural Health and Nutrition)

Check with your doctor to see if you are consuming enough selenium. If a selenium supplement is warranted, visit your local health store or click here to purchase from Physician’s Preference.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 5th, 2006 at 1:07 pm and is filed under Health & Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.