By Dr. Jonn Matsen, ND

Do you walk into a health food store and wonder which of the millions of supplements surrounding you is the most beneficial? Try selenium—one of the most important supplements that you can take.

Selenium is a metal that is rare in some soils and abundant in others. It has long been known to have a toxic effect on some animals grazing on plants grown in high-selenium soils—but numerous studies have shown it is also beneficial to health.

Potent cancer fighter
In the mid 1990s, 200mcg of selenium was given to 1300 skin cancer patients to see if it would help control or reverse the disease. Although no improvement was seen in their skin cancer, the patients reduced their death rate from other cancers—such as lung, colon, and prostate cancer—by 50%. It was apparent that selenium was a critical factor in the body’s defense against cancer.

One of your body’s key detoxification enzymes, glutathione peroxidase, uses sulfur and selenium to chop deadly peroxides into harmless water. The ability of this enzyme to reduce peroxides into water is crucial to preventing or reversing most diseases, including cancer.

Where does it all go?
It only takes about 40mcg of selenium a day to supply glutathione peroxidase enzyme with an adequate amount of selenium. So what happens to the extra 160mcg of selenium typically seen in supplements?

Recent research shows that as glutathione peroxidase enzymes are topped up with selenium the surplus selenium is potentially toxic, so the body starts converting it to less toxic forms. Of the many forms that are created, SeMC (Se-Methylselenocysteine) is the form that is the least toxic, yet has the most potent anti-cancer properties.

Studies are showing that SeMC has direct anti-cancer properties by inducing cancer cells to commit “suicide” (called apoptosis), without harming nearby healthy cells.

Where you can find it
It turns out that plants grown on high-selenium soil go through a similar process of converting potentially toxic selenium into less potent forms. Some plants—such as wheat and Brazil nuts—convert selenium to forms not very beneficial in aiding our bodies’ fight against cancer, while others—especially broccoli and garlic—convert selenium into SeMC, the form most active at preventing and reversing cancer.

So take a selenium supplement daily (maximum 200mcg per day for adults) and if possible, try to find one that has the SeMC form. If 200mcg of selenium has shown to reduce cancer risk by 50%, then SeMC should raise the odds even greater in your favor.

References