In recent years, there has been a “selenium-enriched wind” in China. The most commonly heard are selenium-enriched rice, selenium-enriched tea, selenium-enriched hot springs, and even on the Internet There are also selenium-enriched nets that specialize in promoting selenium-enriched products. Because selenium is a trace element that is necessary for the human body but cannot be self-made, and it is the most important anti-cancer and anti-aging element known so far.

Lilinzui Village in Sanfutan, Xiantao is a very famous longevity village. The secret of longevity here is actually because of their more than 5,000 mu of selenium-containing land. Here the content of selenium per kilogram of soil is more than 0.5 mg. The rice grown in this village contains more than 0.06 mg of selenium per kilogram. As we all know, there are not a few centenarians living here!

What exactly is selenium? Can selenium supplementation for middle-aged and elderly people really fight cancer and prevent cardiovascular disease? Before answering this question, let’s take a look at the magic of selenium!

I. What exactly is selenium? Can it fight cancer and prevent cardiovascular disease?

Many people may not know much about the element selenium. Selenium has multiple identities and is one of the “anti-cancer pioneers, life sparks” say.

In 1973, a study was done in the United States, the study found that selenium and cancer are closely related. The researchers surveyed 17 cities whose land was rich in selenium and 17 cities whose land was low in selenium. The shocking difference in proportions led the researchers to initially conclude that where there was less selenium, more cancer patients.

In China, researchers have also combined fish oil with selenium to take lung adenocarcinoma sample cells for related experiments. Researchers applied fish oil and selenium yeast to lung cancer stem cells, and found that 25% of cancer stem cells began to self-apoptosis, that is to say, without chemotherapy and radiotherapy, only the elements of selenium plus the Omega-3 of fish oil are needed. The fatty acid can inhibit the stem cells of lung adenocarcinoma to a certain extent.

At the same time Selenium also shoulders the important task of regulating immune function. In our human body, there are nearly 30 so-called enzymes, which must rely on selenium to help . One of the most famous is glutathione peroxidase, which can metabolize some free radicals in our body and regulate the immune system at the same time. Especially for people with asthma, selenium can relax the smooth muscles of patients with trachea, and reduce the production of mucus, thereby removing some of the immune cells that are prone to allergies.

Selenium is one of the essential nutrients for the human body. When the human body lacks selenium, the thyroid function will be low. For example, most women have some autoimmune problems because most women lack thyroid catalase. Thyroid problems arise when antibodies are made to this enzyme!

As a result, experts supplemented 151 pregnant women with selenium and found that selenium supplementation can indeed reduce the problem of thyroid inflammation to a certain extent. Here, it can be explained that selenium and thyroid The synthesis of elements is closely related.

Selenium also has a certain effect on detoxification. In the absence of selenium, antioxidants cannot detoxify. Our human body will produce many peroxides, which are toxic to the human body. The source of hydrogen peroxide in the body is mainly produced in the process of metabolism and oxidative decomposition of substances. Because cells undergo cellular metabolism, the hydrogen peroxide produced has strong oxidizing properties, thereby damaging cells. When hydrogen peroxide is to be detoxified, it passes through some enzyme systems in our body, and selenium participates in these enzyme systems.

Selenium can prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Many problems of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular arteriosclerosis are caused by oxidative stress. The number of times this inflammation occurs, thereby reducing oxidative stress to protect the heart. Medical research has shown that every 50% increase in selenium in the blood reduces the risk of heart disease by 25%.

The omnipotent element ‘selenium’ can bring so many effects to our body, so how can we know that our body lacks the selenium element of all things?

Second, if these 4 symptoms appear in the body, you may be deficient in selenium?

• Decreased thyroid utilization, easy to fatigue and fatigue

Lack of selenium will reduce the utilization efficiency of the thyroid gland, which will make the thyroid gland continue to produce new thyroxine, resulting in thyroid enlargement. People will also start to have problems such as excessive fatigue, and they will become lazy and always want to sleep, and their energy will not be as good as ordinary people.

• Itchy skin

Selenium itself is a It has anti-inflammatory effect. Selenium can partially replace and promote the effect of vitamin E. Itching of the skin is also an inflammatory reaction. Selenium deficiency can lead to eczema, dermatitis, and pruritus. Like dermatitis patients, it is difficult to cause these inflammatory reactions if the nutrition is sufficient.

• Men and women are not easy to conceive

Studies abroad found that male sperm tails Filled with granulocytes, the activity of sperm is closely related to the ability of granulocytes. If the element of selenium in the sperm tail is not enough, the activity of sperm will also become poor.

For female friends, if you find that you are not easy to get pregnant, even if you are pregnant, you are prone to miscarriage. You should also pay attention to whether you need to supplement selenium. This is because selenium has an important relationship with free radicals. When the free radicals in the body are damaged, it will affect our ability to conceive.

• Osteoarthropathy, deformed hands and feet

Osteoarthropathy It is an endemic, multiple, deforming bone and joint disease. The main lesions are necrosis of cartilage cells at the end of the bone, muscle atrophy, and developmental disorders. The incidence is mostly in adolescents.

Selenium deficiency can lead to major osteoarthritis. Investigations have found that the water, soil and food in the high-incidence areas are all in a state of low selenium. Kashin-Beck disease is associated with organic matter in drinking water. Studies have shown that the water in these areas is contaminated with humus, which produces toxic organic matter.

Investigation studies have also found that the disease is also related to mycotoxins, which contain Fusarium spp. in grains in areas with a high incidence of Kashin-Beck disease. After the grains are infected, toxic substances are produced. The toxins released by Fusarium and the metabolites produced by the infected grains cause cartilage cell biofilm lesions. As a result, the residents of this high-incidence area suffer from large osteoarthritis.

Selenium is an indispensable element in the human body. Selenium deficiency will bring so much harm to our physical and mental health. So what is the reason for the lack of selenium in our body?

Three. Why are we deficient in selenium?

Selenium is very important to the human body, and surveys show that most people have insufficient selenium in their bodies. According to relevant statistics, there are more than 40 countries in the world that lack selenium, and China is one of them. 72% of my country’s territory belongs to areas with low selenium content, and nearly 30% of the land is seriously deficient in selenium.

In fact, most of the crop soil in my country, especially the black soil in the northeast, is very fertile and suitable for the growth of various crops. This soil is rich in various Trace elements, especially iron, calcium and zinc, can maintain the balance of trace elements in the human body normally. However, unfortunately, selenium is missing in these trace elements.

According to a national survey on Keshan disease, more than half of the provinces in my country belong to low selenium areas, and one-third of the selenium content in the soil is far lower than the internationally published estimates. normal threshold.

In this selenium-deficient environment, lack of selenium in the soil will cause the level of selenium in local plants and crops to be too low. Naturally triggers seleniumInsufficient elemental content, coupled with the fact that most people’s diets are not balanced, especially young people or children who are picky eaters and anorexia. Some elderly people’s diet is too simple, and over time, symptoms of selenium deficiency appear.

In the industrial age, pollution is also a big problem. The discharged sulfur dioxide pollutes the air environment, and selenium will combine with the discharged sulfur dioxide to have a chemical reaction, so that As a result, the content of selenium that can be absorbed by crops is lower, and at the same time, it indirectly hinders the absorption of selenium by the human body.

In addition, many young people in today’s era have bad living habits, drinking alcohol, staying up late, and eating too much, all of which will cause the body to absorb selenium. The American compatriots’ standard aesthetics of ‘being thin is beautiful’ have led many young men and women to start dieting to lose weight, which will lead to malnutrition in some people who lose weight.

People with weak gastrointestinal digestion, children still in the process of growth and development, older people with reduced metabolism, and people with diseases and weak bodies. These are representative groups of people who lack selenium!

Since selenium is so important, how should we supplement the selenium that is lacking in our body, and what foods can we eat to supplement selenium in our daily life?

Four. Selenium from food

Selenium comes from daily food intake, drug health products and supplements. However, for patients with severe selenium deficiency, they cannot rely on dietary supplements alone. For patients with selenium deficiency, dietary supplements, that is, dietary intake, is a safer and more convenient choice. In our daily life, which foods are rich in selenium?

1. Internal organs of animals

Selenium is in the internal organs of animals The content is higher, such as animal heart, liver and so on. Eating animal offal can not only supplement selenium, but also other trace elements. But it should be noted that the visceral fat content is very high, people with high blood lipids, high cholesterol, and obesity should try to eat less. The general population should also pay attention to the dosage when consuming it on a daily basis.

2. Pork

Most people don’t know that the most common food in our The content of selenium in pork is very high, and there are ten micrograms of selenium in every 100 grams of pork. For people who want to get selenium by eating meat, it is very important to consume some lean pork every day. Good choice. However, it should be noted that there are unsaturated fatty acids in pork that can cause obesity. If you eat too much, it will affect your body.

3. Eggs

Eggs such as eggs and duck eggs are rich in selenium. According to research, every 100 grams of eggs is rich in 34 micrograms of selenium, and eggs are easy to digest food, so in daily life, you can supplement the body’s selenium by eating eggs. In daily life, consuming one egg every day can meet the selenium content required by most people’s bodies.

4. Vegetables containing selenium

The vegetables we eat every day are rich in selenium There are tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, pumpkin, asparagus and so on. Among them, garlic is a good selenium supplement. It has strong antioxidant properties and can help promote the absorption of selenium in the body.

5. Seafood

There are many foods high in selenium in aquatic products , such as fish, shrimp, shellfish. Common ones are lobster, tuna, and abalone. These seafood are not only rich in selenium, but also rich in calcium and iodine.

Reminder:

Selenium does play a vital role in our body, but it does not mean that the more intake, the better The daily intake of selenium per person in China ranges from 60 micrograms to 400 micrograms. The intake of any kind of nutrient element should be selected reasonably according to their own needs.

In today’s society, some unscrupulous businesses have put exaggerated false labels on health products under the banner of the omnipotence of selenium. We should know that long-term excessive selenium supplementation can cause selenium poisoning in the body. Among the main symptoms are severe hair loss, dizziness, nausea, and flushing. Some severe patients will experience muscle cramps, body aches and other symptoms.

If you want to know if you are deficient in selenium, the most reliable way is to go to the hospital for trace element examinations, and under the advice of your doctor, make reasonable arrangements for your daily intake of selenium Although selenium supplementation has certain benefits for the body, it must be supplemented reasonably according to your own situation.

References:

[1] Hu Pan. Emphasis on the combination of medical care and health care for the health of the elderly Relying on “medicine” [N]. China Economic Times, 2022-03-17(004).

[2] Zhou Haoli, Wang Dixun, Zhang Xiaobi. Attention should be paid to the elderly Sub-health state[J].Medicine and Society,2002,03:4-7.