Antioxidant Spotlight: Selenium

Selenium is a mineral found in the soil which naturally occurs in water and foods, depending on the makeup of the soil food is grown in. The body uses a small but essential amount of selenium to function properly, as selenium plays an important role in metabolic function. In the body, selenium is broken down into selenoproteins, which are then used to help make thyroid hormones and assist in regulating the metabolism (Mehdi et al., 2013).

Selenium also has significant antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help protect the body’s cells against free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that the body naturally produces when breaking down food, however in high concentrations, free radicals can cause significant cell damage, known as oxidative stress. Damage from free radicals has been linked to cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases, cataracts, and cancer (Zakeri et al., 2021). Preliminary research indicates that selenium supplementation can significantly reduce the presence of free radicals, and helps to increase the body’s glutathione and total antioxidant levels (Zakeri et al., 2021).

References

Mehdi, Y., Hornick, J.-L., Istasse, L., & Dufrasne, I. (2013). Selenium in the environment, metabolism and involvement in body functions. Molecules, 18(3), 3292–3311. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules18033292

Zakeri, N., kelishadi, M. R., Asbaghi, O., Naeini, F., Afsharfar, M., Mirzadeh, E., & Naserizadeh, S. kasra. (2021). Selenium supplementation and oxidative stress: A Review. PharmaNutrition, 17, 100263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phanu.2021.100263