Research about Selenium - Natural Vitamin E complex & Selenium with grape seed extract, product of shaklee

Selenium

Overview:

Selenium is an essential mineral found in small amounts in the body. It works as an antioxidant, especially when combined with vitamin E. Antioxidants like selenium help fight damaging particles in the body known as free radicals. Free radicals can damage cell membranes and DNA, and may contribute to aging and a number of conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.

Selenium plays a role in thyroid function and your immune system needs selenium to work properly. People with a number of conditions, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to some types of cancer, often have low levels of selenium. However, in most cases scientists aren't sure whether low selenium levels are a cause or an effect of the disease.

When researchers examined whether selenium had any effect on skin cancer, they found something unexpected: People who took as little as 200 mcg of selenium per day for more than 7 years had a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. More studies are needed to understand exactly what might be happening. In the meantime, you should not take more than the daily recommended allowance of selenium without your doctor's supervision.

If you are healthy and eat a well-balanced diet, you should get enough selenium. You may have low levels of selenium if you:

• Smoke cigarettes
• Drink alcohol
• Take birth control pills
• Have a condition that prevents your body from absorbing enough selenium such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis

Heart Disease

The evidence on taking selenium to treat heart disease is mixed. Scientists know that low levels of selenium can contribute to heart failure, and being deficient in selenium seems to make atherosclerosis worse. Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, happens when plaque builds up in arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. But studies show that taking selenium supplements doesn't seem to have any effect on the progression of heart disease, nor does it protect against heart attack.

Selenium, combined with other antioxidants, including vitamin E and beta-carotene, may help lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels. But selenium can also interact with cholesterol-lowering drugs (See "Possible Interactions") and make them less effective. If you have or are at risk for heart disease, talk to your doctor before taking selenium.

 

Immune Function

Many studies suggest that the body needs selenium in order for the immune system to work properly. Selenium, along with other minerals, can help build up white blood cells, which boosts the body's ability to fight illness and infection. A few studies suggest that selenium might help prevent some infections, such as a bacterial skin infection that often occurs with lymphedema, and mycoplasma pneumonia. In addition, one study suggested that when elderly people took zinc and selenium supplements, their immune systems responded better to the flu vaccine than those who took placebo.

Asthma

Evidence suggests that people with asthma tend to have low blood levels of selenium. In a study of 24 people with asthma, those who took selenium supplements for 14 weeks had fewer symptoms compared to those who took placebo. But in a larger randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, people who took a yeast supplement that contained selenium didn' t have any fewer symptoms than those who took placebo. More studies are needed.

Male Infertility

Selenium and other antioxidants play an essential role in how your body makes certain proteins found in sperm. One study suggested that selenium supplements might improve male fertility in men who had low levels of selenium. However, high levels of selenium are associated with decreased sperm motility.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Low levels of selenium in the blood may be associated with increased risk of RA. But it doesn't seem that selenium supplements help once you have RA.

Dietary Sources:

Brewer's yeast and wheat germ, liver, butter, fish (mackerel, tuna, halibut, flounder, herring, smelts) and shellfish (oysters, scallops, and lobster), garlic, whole grains, sunflower seeds, and Brazil nuts are all good sources of selenium.

Selenium levels in food depend on how much selenium was in the soil where the food was grown.

Selenium is destroyed when foods are refined or processed. Eating a variety of whole, unprocessed foods is the best way to get selenium in your diet.

Available Forms:

Selenium may be taken as part of a vitamin-mineral supplement, a nutritional antioxidant formula, or as a separate supplement. Most supplements contain a form of selenium called selenomethionine.

Vita-E Complex®
Vita-E complex mengandungi vitamin E (d-alfa tokoferol) asli dari minyak sayuran. Ia juga mengandungi selenium yang melengkapi fungsi vitamin E. Setiap kapsul gel lembut memberikan: •    400IU vitamin E semulajadi dan 10mcg selenium. •    Membantu dalam memelihara kesihatan baik. Tanpa perasa, pewarna dan pemanis tiruan. * Produk ini bukan bertujuan untuk mendiagnos, merawat, menyembuhkan atau mencegah sebarang penyakit.
Kod Produk	10112 (120 kapsul)