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Selenium Is a Must-Have Mineral
By Dr. Al Sears
Many minerals – such as iron and zinc and selenium – are essential to life. Without them, your body could not function. And because your body can’t make them, you need a reliable source from your diet.
On commercial farms, the soil no longer has the minerals it used to. That means you may be suffering from a mineral deficiency.
I consider selenium a “must-have” mineral. It’s a major player in the fight against chronic disease. Selenium dramatically lowers your risk for many types of cancer. These include lung, colon, liver, and prostate cancer.
But there’s more to selenium’s protective power. A study from the University of North Carolina shows that selenium can also lower your risk of osteoarthritis.1 Researchers found that people’s risk was related to the level of selenium in their bodies.
To give you an idea of how powerful this mineral is, an increase of just one-tenth of a part per million decreased their risk of osteoarthritis by 15 to 20 percent. The higher the amount of selenium, the more their risk dropped.
It’s also one of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet. For your bones and joints, it protects your cartilage and prevents the inflammation that causes joint pain.
As a cancer fighter, selenium slows down tumors by cutting off their blood supply. And it kills cancer cells by triggering a built-in program that kills off damaged cells.2
What’s more, it stops LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) from sticking to your arteries.3
So, how do you get more selenium in your diet?
Well, you won’t find much of it in fruits or vegetables. That’s why vegetarians often suffer from a lack of this very important mineral.
The best sources are fish, red meat, and Brazil nuts. I recommend you get at least 55 micrograms of selenium a day. Notice I said micrograms, not milligrams. The amount is very small.
The list below will give you a better idea:4
|
Food |
Quantity |
Micrograms |
|
Brazil Nuts |
1 ounce |
544 |
|
Canned Tuna |
3 ounces |
63 |
|
Beef |
3.5 ounces (cooked) |
35 |
|
Cod |
3 ounces (cooked) |
32 |
|
Turkey |
3.5 ounces (roasted) |
32 |
|
Chicken Breast |
3.5 ounces (roasted) |
20 |
|
Egg |
1 medium |
14 |
|
Walnuts |
1 ounce |
5 |
***
Dr. Al Sears owns and operates an integrative medicine and anti-aging clinic in Wellington, Fla., with more than 20,000 patients. His therapies and reputation for solving some of the most difficult-to-diagnose cases attract patients from around the world. You will find his website here.
1 Press Release. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nov 18, 2005.
2 Selenium has been shown to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Yeo et al. 2002
3 Neve J. Selenium as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. J Cardiovasc Risk 1996;3:42-7.
4 Office of Dietary Supplements. National Institutes of Health. http://ods.od.nih.gov.
