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Journal ArticleDOI

Selenium and human health

31 Mar 2012-The Lancet (Elsevier)-Vol. 379, Iss: 9822, pp 1256-1268
TL;DR: The crucial factor that needs to be emphasised with regard to the health effects of selenium is the inextricable U-shaped link with status; whereas additional seenium intake may benefit people with low status, those with adequate-to-high status might be affected adversely and should not take selenum supplements.
About: This article is published in The Lancet.The article was published on 2012-03-31. It has received 2297 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Selenium deficiency & Selenoprotein.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of literature discussing the phytoremediation capacity of hyperaccumulators to clean up soils contaminated with heavy metals and the possibility of using these plants in phytomining is presented.

1,509 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Particular conditions frequently observed in intensive care such as patients with dysphagia, frail patients, multiple trauma patients, abdominal surgery, sepsis, and obesity are discussed to guide the practitioner toward the best evidence based therapy.

1,474 citations


Cites background from "Selenium and human health"

  • ...The absence of an effect of Se supplementation in the REDOXS trial [206] might have been due to the adequacy of the Se status in the North American population compared to the European population who are Se borderline deficient [285]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The relationships between selenium intake/status and health, or risk of disease, are complex but require elucidation to inform clinical practice, to refine dietary recommendations, and to develop effective public health policies.
Abstract: This review covers current knowledge of selenium in the environment, dietary intakes, metabolism and status, functions in the body, thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense systems and oxidative metabolism, and the immune system. Selenium toxicity and links between deficiency and Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck disease are described. The relationships between selenium intake/status and various health outcomes, in particular gastrointestinal and prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and male fertility, are reviewed, and recent developments in genetics of selenoproteins are outlined. The rationale behind current dietary reference intakes of selenium is explained, and examples of differences between countries and/or expert bodies are given. Throughout the review, gaps in knowledge and research requirements are identified. More research is needed to improve our understanding of selenium metabolism and requirements for optimal health. Functions of the majority of the selenoproteins await characterization, the mechanism of absorption has yet to be identified, measures of status need to be developed, and effects of genotype on metabolism require further investigation. The relationships between selenium intake/status and health, or risk of disease, are complex but require elucidation to inform clinical practice, to refine dietary recommendations, and to develop effective public health policies.

1,034 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that all the potential interventions be implemented to control the emerging COVID‐19 if the infection is uncontrollable and the current children's RNA‐virus vaccines including influenza vaccine should be immunized for uninfected people and health care workers.
Abstract: An outbreak of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19 or 2019-CoV) infection has posed significant threats to international health and the economy. In the absence of treatment for this virus, there is an urgent need to find alternative methods to control the spread of disease. Here, we have conducted an online search for all treatment options related to coronavirus infections as well as some RNA-virus infection and we have found that general treatments, coronavirus-specific treatments, and antiviral treatments should be useful in fighting COVID-19. We suggest that the nutritional status of each infected patient should be evaluated before the administration of general treatments and the current children's RNA-virus vaccines including influenza vaccine should be immunized for uninfected people and health care workers. In addition, convalescent plasma should be given to COVID-19 patients if it is available. In conclusion, we suggest that all the potential interventions be implemented to control the emerging COVID-19 if the infection is uncontrollable.

1,009 citations


Cites background from "Selenium and human health"

  • ...Selenium is an essential trace element for mammalian redox biology.(35) The nutritional status of the host plays a very important role in the defense against infectious diseases....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Current knowledge about how these unique proteins perform their functions at the molecular level is discussed and new insights into the roles that selenoproteins play in human health are highlighted.
Abstract: Selenium is an essential micronutrient with important functions in human health and relevance to several pathophysiological conditions. The biological effects of selenium are largely mediated by se...

872 citations


Cites background from "Selenium and human health"

  • ...Se has been also implicated in mammalian development (181), immune function (292), inhibition of viral expression (19), and delaying the progression of AIDS in HIV-positive patients (40)....

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  • ...Thus MsrB1 may contribute to age-related decline in immune function, and reduced MsrB1 levels might also explain a weakened immune response associated with Se deficiency (292)....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Selenium is needed for the proper functioning of the immune system, and appears to be a key nutrient in counteracting the development of virulence and inhibiting HIV progression to AIDS.

3,359 citations

01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: The essential trace mineral, selenium, is of fundamental importance to human health as mentioned in this paper, and it is needed for the proper functioning of the immune system, and appears to be a key nutrient in counteracting the development of virulence and inhibiting HIV progression to AIDS.
Abstract: The essential trace mineral, selenium, is of fundamental importance to human health. As a constituent of selenoproteins, selenium has structural and enzymic roles, in the latter context being best-known as an antioxidant and catalyst for the production of active thyroid hormone. Selenium is needed for the proper functioning of the immune system, and appears to be a key nutrient in counteracting the development of virulence and inhibiting HIV progression to AIDS. It is required for sperm motility and may reduce the risk of miscarriage. Deficiency has been linked to adverse mood states. Findings have been equivocal in linking selenium to cardiovascular disease risk although other conditions involving oxidative stress and inflammation have shown benefits of a higher selenium status. An elevated selenium intake may be associated with reduced cancer risk. Large clinical trials are now planned to confirm or refute this hypothesis. In the context of these health effects, low or diminishing selenium status in some parts of the world, notably in some European countries, is giving cause for concern.

3,068 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
25 Dec 1996-JAMA
TL;DR: Results from secondary end-point analyses support the hypothesis that supplemental selenium may reduce the incidence of, and mortality from, carcinomas of several sites and require confirmation in an independent trial of appropriate design before new public health recommendations regarding seenium supplementation can be made.
Abstract: Objective. —To determine whether a nutritional supplement of selenium will decrease the incidence of cancer. Design. —A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cancer prevention trial. Setting. —Seven dermatology clinics in the eastern United States. Patients. —A total of 1312 patients (mean age, 63 years; range, 18-80 years) with a history of basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas of the skin were randomized from 1983 through 1991. Patients were treated for a mean (SD) of 4.5 (2.8) years and had a total follow-up of 6.4 (2.0) years. Interventions. —Oral administration of 200 μg of selenium per day or placebo. Main Outcome Measures. —The primary end points for the trial were the incidences of basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. The secondary end points, established in 1990, were all-cause mortality and total cancer mortality, total cancer incidence, and the incidences of lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Results. —After a total follow-up of 8271 person-years, selenium treatment did not significantly affect the incidence of basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer. There were 377 new cases of basal cell skin cancer among patients in the selenium group and 350 cases among the control group (relative risk [RR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95-1.28), and 218 new squamous cell skin cancers in the selenium group and 190 cases among the controls (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.93-1.39). Analysis of secondary end points revealed that, compared with controls, patients treated with selenium had a nonsignificant reduction in all-cause mortality (108 deaths in the selenium group and 129 deaths in the control group [RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.63-1.08]) and significant reductions in total cancer mortality (29 deaths in the selenium treatment group and 57 deaths in controls [RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.31-0.80]), total cancer incidence (77 cancers in the selenium group and 119 in controls [RR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.47-0.85]), and incidences of lung, colorectal, and prostate cancers. Primarily because of the apparent reductions in total cancer mortality and total cancer incidence in the selenium group, the blinded phase of the trial was stopped early. No cases of selenium toxicity occurred. Conclusions. —Selenium treatment did not protect against development of basal or squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. However, results from secondary end-point analyses support the hypothesis that supplemental selenium may reduce the incidence of, and mortality from, carcinomas of several sites. These effects of selenium require confirmation in an independent trial of appropriate design before new public health recommendations regarding selenium supplementation can be made.

2,780 citations

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