Selenium: a Shield to Preserve Life

Perhaps for its poor presence known substances, selenium delayed that much more integrated with other elements in the compound known to man, because it was not until 1827 that the Swedish chemist Jöns Berzeluis so named with him today know in honor of Selene, Greek goddess of the moon, after detecting the presence of the cameras sediments of lead used in the manufacture of sulfuric acid.

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Possibly because of their waste for a long time was considered a poisonous substance, to the extent that a mysterious disease in cattle in the meadows of the U.S. state of Wyoming was attributed to excess selenium in the pasture. 

Photosensitivity only gave her some practical value, but it was not until the third decade of the twentieth century began to be used in industry as a shield against corrosion, property in the human body is equivalent to its antioxidant power, known from 1973 with the discovery of glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme present in tissues with high content of selenium. 

Metalloid element, with great similarities with sulfur, selenium is often found scattered in the soil, where it is absorbed by plants to integrate into the food chain, however, some factors that damage the environment, such as acid rain, cause increasingly more difficult to obtain the quantities required. 

In adults, the needs of selenium have not been established but it is advisable that are between 55 and 70 micrograms per day. Ideal form of the human body contains 10 to 30 micrograms, distributed mainly in glands, liver and kidneys. Proposals based on the preventive aspects of selenium requirements extend between 250 and 300 micrograms per day, which is not alarming, given that Asian people, bound by tradition to the consumption of fish, come to take 500 micrograms without any adverse reaction .

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As part of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, selenium, like vitamin E, protects the body from free radicals, whose reactions with oxygen lead to aggressive and highly reactive elements that attack everything in their path, including healthy cells that may die or become cancerous. Together with this vitamin antioxidant up an efficient team, with proven preventive effect. 

In its protective function, selenium preserves the human body from the harmful effects of environmental radiation and bacterial or viral infections, so their presence is a powerful component of our defense system, in addition to act against allergies, chemical, liver, muscle and pancreas. 

Several studies have also shown their ability to react with heavy metals such as cadmium, lead or mercury and neutralize their harmful effects on human health. 

Some research awarded selenium preventive action against cancer, quality that so far is a source of debate within the scientific community, like the ability to trace this to stop the natural process of aging people. 

Although selenium deficiency is rare in humans, known clinical caused by lack and identified as Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck. The first, described as a rare disorder of the heart muscle damage which can lead to death, affected children and young women in the region of China which takes its name. The administration of small doses of selenium, allowing the residents to virtually eradicate the disease. 

At the end of World War II, Keshan disease, made his second appearance among the inhabitants of Kashin-Beck, the German region of Bavaria, where he disappeared completely when the occupation troops from the United States distributed wheat harvested in soils rich in selenium . 

As a rule, the selenium deficiency in children takes place and the main symptoms that manifest themselves are almost always associated with other conditions, as expressed by the general through weakness, muscle pain and hypersensitivity. 

Studies conducted by researchers have emphasized a possible link between an inadequate consumption of selenium and myocardial infarction, and although there is no final definition, it is proven that the absence of selenium in the body caused considerable disruption in the liver functions and muscular, with dire consequences for the heart. 

Also in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been determined that trace element deficiency and cystic fibrosis in the presence of selenium deficiencies are common as in alcoholics. 

Persons subject to a strict vegetarian diet, as well as those suffering from metabolic disorders, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes are likely to have low availability of selenium. 

While the lack of selenium is harmful to health, the excess can be toxic, said in a yellowish hue of the skin, loss of nails and fatigue, but these are exceptional cases and likely only when the dose exceeds 500 micrograms; its effects can be expressed with the appearance of the disease called selenosis, which identifies, among other symptoms, loss of hair. In general, the excess delay the emergence and growth of tumor cells and not suppress the natural functions of the immune system. 

The best sources of selenium are found in red meat, viscera and animal products. It was also found in certain grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables, but in varying amounts depending on the composition of the soil. Both the river fish of the sea provide high content of selenium and better absorption, among foods of plant origin, for soybeans and cereals.