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Earlier
studies had found that in people already diagnosed with cancer,
those whose selenium levels were lowest developed more subsequent
tumors than those whose selenium levels were highest. Individuals
with low selenium levels also had a greater likelihood of cancer
recurrence, were at higher risk of having the cancer spread to new
organs, and generally survived shorter periods of time.
•
Protect
against heart attack and stroke. Selenium may decrease the
"stickiness" of the blood, lessening its tendency to clot and thus
reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. In addition, the
mineral may encourage healthy heart function by increasing the
proportion of HDL ("good") cholesterol to LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
People who have already had a heart attack or a stroke, or who
smoke, appear to benefit the most from selenium.
•
Guard
against cataracts and macular degeneration. Selenium may help
prevent the two most common causes of impaired vision and blindness
in older Americans--cataracts and macular degeneration--by providing
antioxidant actions that fight free radicals. It's these free
radicals, after all, that often damage the eye's lens (the site of
cataracts) and the macula at the center of the eye's retina (the
site of macular degeneration).
•
Promote healing of cold sores and shingles. When the herpes
virus erupts from a dormant state in the body, painful cold sores
and shingles may appear. Selenium, an immune-system booster, may
help suppress this kind of eruption.
•
Fight
inflammation associated with lupus. Selenium's antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory actions may be enhanced when combined with
vitamin E. For people with lupus, an inflammatory autoimmune
disease, this nutrient duo may foster healing of the skin and help
protect the heart, blood vessels, skin, joints, and other parts of
the body prone to inflammation. Along the same lines, the
selenium/vitamin E combination may benefit people with other types
of inflammatory disorders too, such as psoriasis, eczema, and
rheumatoid arthritis |
