Immune Boosters: Selenium

Selenium is an essential trace mineral that as previously mentioned is an extremely important antioxidant, which prevents cellular and subcellular lipids and fats from being peroxidised, meaning it prevents body fats from going rancid, which are seen externally as “Age and Liver spots”.

If you have a high intake of polyunsaturated oils such as those found in olive, coconut, fish oil, salad dressing and margarine at the same time as having a selenium deficiency, you increase the chances of illness and disease.

Getting rid of toxins is crucial to your health, and selenium has been well publicised for the activity of a group of enzymes called glutathione peroxidases, which forms the front line of the body’s antioxidant defence system.

These enzymes play a critical role in the body’s detoxification pathways; they are also involved in recycling of vitamin C from its used form back to active.

Apart from Brazil nuts that contain healthy amounts of selenium, which are the key foods to include to increase your selenium levels.

Top 5 Selenium Foods (Animal)

1. Tuna (4oz = 120.50mcg)
2. Shrimp ( recipe ) (4oz = 55.00mcg)
3. Sardines (3oz = 45.50mcg)
4. Salmon (4oz = 42.00mcg)
5. Cod (4oz = 30.50mcg)

Top 5 Selenium Foods (Plants)

1. Tofu (4oz = 19.50mcg)
2. Brown Rice (1 cup = 19.00mcg)
3. Sunflower seeds (0.25 cup = 18.50mcg)
4. Mushroom, Shiitake (0.5 cup = 18.00mcg)
5. Asparagus (1 cup = 10.50mcg)

The science

1. Selenium and human health.

“Low selenium status has been associated with increased risk of mortality, poor immune function, and cognitive decline”

2. Micronutrients and host resistance to viral infection.

“Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated that a virus could undergo rapid mutation in a host deficient in Selenium, leading to a normally avirulent virus acquiring virulence due to genome changes. Once these mutations occur, even a host with adequate Selenium-nutriture is susceptible to the newly virulent virus”

3. Selenium, Selenoproteins and Viral Infection

“Selenium deficiency, which is the main regulator of selenoprotein expression, has been associated with the pathogenicity of several viruses. In addition, several selenoprotein members, including glutathione peroxidases (GPX), thioredoxin reductases (TXNRD) seemed important in different models of viral replication. Finally, the formal identification of viral.” selenoproteins in the genome of molluscum contagiosum and fowlpox viruses demonstrated the importance of selenoproteins in viral cycle”

4. Review: Micronutrient selenium deficiency influences evolution of some viral infectious diseases.

“Recently emerged viral infectious diseases (VIDs) include HIV/AIDS, influenzas H5N1 and 2009 H1N1, SARS, and Ebola hemorrhagic fevers. Earlier research determined metabolic oxidative stress in hosts deficient in antioxidant selenium induces both impaired human host immunocompetence and rapidly mutated benign variants of RNA viruses to virulence”

5. Combined adjuvant effect of ginseng stem-leaf saponins and selenium on immune responses to a live bivalent vaccine of Newcastle disease virus and infectious bronchitis virus in chickens.

“Results showed that ginseng stem-leaf promoted significantly higher NDV- and IBV-specific antibody responses with the highest antibody response detected in ginseng stem- leaf and selenium group. The increased antibody was capable of neutralizing NDV and IBV. In addition, (GSLS-Selenium) enhanced lymphocyte proliferation and production of IFN-γ and IL-4. More importantly (GSLS-Selenium) was found to promote early production and prolong the duration of the antibody responses”

Therefore, selenium supplementation could be an effective choice for the treatment of this novel virus of COVID‐19.