Potent health protector - SELENIUM

What is selenium?

Selenium is an essential trace mineral that is required by our body for normal function of the immune system. We must obtain the sources externally because our bodies barely produce it.


Sources

Selenium is mostly found in plants (extract from soil), seafood or animal meats (eg. pig stomach).  Its content in food varies according to the growing area where the water and soils hold this mineral content. Likewise, animals that eat grains or plants that were grown in selenium-rich soil will have a higher level of selenium in their muscles and organs.

In New Zealand the soils are found to contain low level of selenium, and thus the cattle and sheep raised there have suffered a breakdown of muscle tissue, including the heart muscle. However, human intake of selenium is adequate because of imported wheat from Australia rich in this mineral. In general, we can derive selenium from the food we eat like pasta, rice and grains.

Why so important?

Selenium is an important part of the human antioxidant enzyme – glutathione peroxidase. It acts as a free radical scavenger, thus protect the healthy cells against harmful substances.

Free radicals are being produced during normal oxygen metabolism in the body and can damage the cells and contribute to various types of chronic diseases eg. cardiovascular disease, cancer and cataract. It plays critical roles in reproduction and thyroid hormone metabolism. Hence its deficiency is linked to a host of illnesses like thyroid disorder, cystic fibrosis, hepatitis, cirrhosis and male infertility. People who are at risk of deficiency include vegetarians, elderly, pregnant and nursing mothers, smokers, very ill patients and those without a balanced diet.

+ Selenium is clinically proven to help reduces the incidence of cancer by counteracting cancer cells and chromosome damage. A 10 year study in USA on 1312 persons showed that daily intake of 200 mcg of selenium could reduce the incidence of prostate, colon and lung cancers by half in 5 years' time and prevent its reoccurrence. Other research findings concluded that selenium blood levels were significantly lower in men with benign prostate or prostate cancer. For info, men appear to have a slightly greater selenium requirement as it is lost in semen and concentrate mainly in the testes and seminal ducts.

+ Studies conducted at the University of Miami indicate that taking selenium may enhance the survival rate of AIDS patients by increasing both red and white blood cell counts.

+ Its other functions are like involved in the production of thyroid hormone, helps to prevent heavy metal poisoning through its antagonistic effect to lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum and cadmium.

+  Selenium supplements may be beneficial in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, especially when combined with vitamin E treatment. In some trials, symptoms have been shown to improve as blood selenium levels increase. However, the results of studies are mixed. Selenium may reduce inflammation through its antioxidant action, and through control of prostaglandins, hormone-like compounds that regulate the inflammation process.


+  As an antioxidant, selenium may be able to protect against the damage to lung tissue and enzymes caused by the free radicals produced by inflammatory cells in asthmatic airways. As a component of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase it helps to stabilize cell membranes.


In summary, it has numerous healing properties including:

Are all selenium products the same?

+ Basically there are two types of selenium products available in the market: organic and inorganic selenium. Inorganic selenium such as sodium selenate may have inconsistent quality and lesser bioavailability than the organic form. The most crucial fact is inorganic selenium is toxic and may cause organ and brain damage.

+ Latest scientific studies prove selenium yeast to be the safest selenium supplement. This is make possible with the yeast absorbing selenium into its cell and converting into safer organic selenium. There are also those products where the selenium component is merely attached to the yeast during the final manufacturing process and thus the toxins remain.

VIVA corner

Choosing the right product is so important. Getting one that has patented manufacturing process and has passed the safety test is safe for consumption and can be well-absorbed.

+  VIVA SELGUARD is a proprietary formula of peptide bonded organic selenium, clinically tested for purity and non-toxicity as it is completely incorporated into yeast cells. With a tablet containing 200 mcg and based on toxicity occurring only up to 5g/kg, only by consuming a million tablet per day can it pose a danger to life.


A clinical study on this product is published in the peer-reviewed international journal of cancer research and treatment Anticancer Research in May 2000 and the abstract was presented at the 1999 Annual Convention of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR).

This in-vitro study illustrates its enhanced chemotherapeutic effects and the ability to promote cellular death of rogue cells (called apoptosis) and ensure normal cell growth for surviving ones. All this is made possible with its high antioxidant properties that can help to support a healthy immune system especially after a major attack.

+ As Vitamin A, C, E and selenium are powerful antioxidants, the combined effect is greatly enhanced to offer stronger protection to our cells and neutralising the negative effects of free radicals. VIVA VIVASHIELD‘s 4 in 1 combination is the first product in the world that has been clinically proven and clinically proven and published in the Medical Science Research 1996 Vol 24 No 5 to significantly reduce the levels of peroxides in the blood.