If I were to ask you if you want to live longer healthier lives, you would probably say ‘yes’.
However, if I were to ask them what you thought would help with this, I doubt many would of you reading this would mention selenium.
This under-appreciated mineral plays a central role in many biological processes vital to increasing longevity, including reducing inflammation (1), producing active thyroid hormone (2), maintaining metabolic homeostasis (3) and regulating cholesterol (4).
Hence, selenium is a helpful ally in the fight against metabolic syndrome and diseases associated with aging such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke.
A recent study suggests selenium may achieve this by moderating the effects of the PPAR-gamma gene on elevated waist circumference and blood pressure, and helping raise beneficial HDL cholesterol levels (5).
This is hugely significant; the NHS estimates that one in three adults over the age of 50 struggle with metabolic syndrome and it is, for many of us practitioners, something we come across in our clinics daily.
The NIH recommends both men and women consume 55 μg of selenium daily, yet Europeans only manage an average of 40 μg (2).
Whilst it’s been shown that just two Brazil nuts a day are an effective way of increasing selenium status (6), you’d be surprised how often we see low selenium levels in hair mineral analysis results!
Selenium levels can be tested efficiently and cost-effectively via hair mineral analysis, and is something we consider essential when you are working with patients who present with multifactorial symptoms, especially if they are over the age of 50.
It’s also worth noting that, whilst we cannot test for vitamin sufficiency using hair, minerals can reliably indicate vitamin deficiencies. For example, low selenium also indicates low Vitamin E; a key micronutrient for combating oxidative stress and damage as we age.
There’s no such thing as a magic pill, nor is there a one-size fits all solution to anti-aging and longevity. However, it’s clear selenium has a very important role in ensuring you have the best chance of a long and healthy life.
Click here to order your hair mineral test to ensure you are getting enough selenium (insert link)
…Your 90-year-old-self will thank you!
Karen
References
- Yu H.C, Feng S.F, Chao P.L, Lin A.M (2010) Anti-inflammatory effects of pioglitazone on iron-induced oxidative injury in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 36:612–22.
- Rayman M.P (2012) Selenium and human health. Lancet. 379:1256–68.
- Obeid O, Elfakhani M, Hlais S, Iskandar M, Batal M, Mouneimne Y, Adra N, Hwalla N. (2008) Plasma copper, zinc, and selenium levels and correlates with metabolic syndrome components of lebanese adults. Biol Trace Elem Res. 123:58–65.
- Houtman J.P (1996) Trace elements and cardiovascular diseases. J Cardiovasc Risk. 3:18–25.
- Schneider-Matyka D, Cybulska A.M, Szkup M, Pilarczyk B, Panczyk M, Tomza-Marciniak A, Grochans E. (2023) Selenium as a predictor of metabolic syndrome in middle age women. Aging.15(6):1734-1747.
- Thomson C.D, Chisholm A, McLauchaln S.K, Campbell J.M.(2008) Brazil Nuts: an effective way to improve selenium status. The American Journal of Nutrition, 87(2), 379-384.
