Although only needed in small amounts, the health benefits of selenium are varied.This mineral plays a major role in the growth of healthy body tissues, a strong immune system, and good thyroid gland function.
Selenium is an important mineral found in food and is also available in supplement form. In food, selenium can be found in nuts, tuna, red snapper, scallops, beef, chicken, eggs, milk, raspberries, portobello mushrooms, as well as grains.
Diverse Selenium Benefits
Here are the various health benefits of selenium that are important for you to know:
1. Fight free radicals
In the body, selenium will bind to proteins and form selenoproteins. This protein works as an antioxidant to ward off free radicals. Free radicals are triggers of oxidative stress that can harm the body because they can damage cells and trigger various diseases.
2. Increase body immunity
The next benefit of selenium is to increase the body's immunity. Due to its strong antioxidant properties, selenium is able to reduce inflammation and protect immune cells from damage. Selenium is also known to increase the immune response against infection.
Research also shows that giving selenium supplements to people with HIV, influenza, tuberculosis and hepatitis C is proven to be effective in increasing the body's immunity, thereby reducing the risk of complications and death.
3. Supports thyroid health and function
Thyroid gland tissue contains more selenium than any other organ in the body. This mineral plays an important role in protecting the thyroid from oxidative damage and is also needed to produce thyroid hormones.
The presence of selenium is also thought to reduce the risk of inflammation of the thyroid gland due to autoimmune processes and hypothyroidism. Some studies even show that taking selenium supplements can reduce the symptoms of Hashimoto's disease, which is an autoimmune thyroid disorder.
4. Reducing the risk of heart disease
Selenium deficiency is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, while adequate selenium needs can support your heart health. This is because selenium can reduce inflammation in the body which is known to be one of the main triggering factors for heart disease.
5. Reduce asthma symptoms
Selenium's ability to reduce inflammation can also help reduce asthma symptoms, such as wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing.
Research has even shown that asthmatics with higher blood selenium levels tend to have better lung function than asthmatics with lower selenium levels.
In addition to those already mentioned, selenium is also believed to have other benefits such as maintaining reproductive health, reducing the risk of certain cancers, and improving the memory of Alzheimer's sufferers.
Sufficient Your Daily Selenium Needs
To get the benefits of selenium, you must meet the needs of this mineral. Everyone's daily selenium needs are different. Here are the details:
- Children aged 1–8 years need about 20–30 mcg/day of selenium.
- Children aged 9–18 years and over need about 40–55 mcg/day of selenium.
- People aged 19–50 years and over need about 55 mcg/day of selenium.
- Pregnant women need selenium intake of about 60 mcg/day.
- Breastfeeding women need about 70 mcg/day of selenium.
Paying attention to daily selenium needs is important. The reason is, like two sides of a sword, excess intake of selenium is also not good for health because it can cause poisoning.
Symptoms can include hair loss, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and tremors. In serious cases, selenium poisoning can cause heart attacks, kidney failure, and death.
You can get the benefits of selenium from certain foods. However, like all foods, food sources of selenium must also be consumed in reasonable limits to avoid things that are not desirable.
In addition, if you want to take supplements that contain selenium, you should consult your doctor about the dosage and the rules for taking it, so that you can balance selenium intake from supplements and food.