by Pete Croatto
For a mineral with a tiny recommended dosage—50 to 200 mcg/d—selenium sure has received a lot of attention.
In early 2010, a Washington district court ordered FDA to remove a series of lengthy disclaimers for claims linking selenium with cancer, respiratory and immunity benefits. Industry insiders expressed doubts the federal agency would comply; as of mid-August, FDA had expressed no clear course of action (An FDA spokeswoman did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment.) Last year, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) alleged there are increased health risks associated with selenium intake, particularly for men with prostate cancer. Steven Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), denounced the claims as "fear-mongering," adding there were no "hard data" suggesting men with prostate cancer had used selenium as a cure or treatment.
Getting away from FDA's meddling and CSPI's objections, there's an impressive amount of research supporting selenium's effectiveness. Acting on a request from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies, concluded in 2009 that "a cause and effect relationship has been established between the dietary intake of selenium and protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage, normal function of the immune system, normal thyroid function and normal spermatogenesis."
A French study published this year in Nutrition & Metabolism found increased blood levels of selenium might decrease a man’s risk of abnormal blood sugar metabolism, and perhaps protect against diabetes. Interestingly, CSPI claimed selenium products could increase the risk of diabetes. And, according to a 2009 study of 411 subjects first presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference in Houston, selenium-based antioxidant supplements may prevent the development of new colon polyps in people with a history of polyp formation.
Of course, selenium has a long, established history of preventing cellular damage. That role, said Mark Whitacre, chief operating officer (COO) at Fresno, CA-based Cypress Systems, is one that cannot be overlooked. Studies have proven countless times, he added, that selenium is essential for human and animal diets.
"We do not consider the well-documented antioxidant role of selenium to be old news, but rather a foundational position which warrants a continued reminder," said Whitacre, whose company supplies SelenoExcell, an organically bound high selenium yeast. "Selenium has an antioxidant function that is irrefutable. More importantly, it is the first line of defense within the cell, by preventing free radicals from being produced in the first place. Other antioxidant compounds function as a reaction once free radicals have been produced, while selenium, as a function of SeGPX [glutathione peroxidase], stops these damaging free radicals from being produced in the first place."
Health benefits for selenium keep popping up, "notably in cardiovascular health prevention, cancer risk reduction, cognitive function support, fertility enhancement and viral diseases protection," said Morgane Maillard, product manager of Mineral Enriched Yeast at Lallemand, the Montreal, Quebec-based maker of Lalmin Se. According to Maillard, two 2010 studies involving renowned selenium researcher Margaret Rayman particularly interested Lallemand. One, published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, showed selenium supplementation in pregnant women reduces the incidence of premature rupture of membranes; the other, published in the Journal of Perinatal Medicine, showed selenium supplementation may reduce oxidative stress associated with pregnancy.
Lallemand's selenium-enriched yeast Lalmin Se is available in powder form. Thanks to its concentration, it is much safer and easier to dose than inorganic forms, and can be blended directly with other ingredients in the final product, Maillard said.
