Selenium strikes powerful blow to skin cancer

Saturday Amy 9, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Skin cancer’s biggest foe might not be vitamin E, but rather a mineral that boosts the immune system. Selenium, an essential trace mineral, has been linked to a 60% reduction in skin cancer, according to a report published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.

Nutraingredients.com reports that 1.5 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year. The steady increase in skin cancer cases that has occurred over the last several decades has been attributed by some to be the result of the diminishing ozone layer, which serves as a natural shield against harmful rays from the sun.

Regardless of the root cause, skin cancer is a serious health threat. The University of Queensland in Australia, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, and Maastricht University randomly studied 458 Australians and discovered that higher levels of selenium in the blood are associated with reduced incidences of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. However, researchers concluded that there is no link between vitamin E levels and reduced risk of carcinoma.

Human beings consume selenium indirectly by one of two means. Most often it enters the food chain through vegetables that have been grown in selenium rich soil. Meats from livestock that graze on vegetation grown in this type of soil are also good sources of selenium.

In the New York Times Health section, the Institute of Medicine claims that selenium helps the immune system by making special enzymes called antioxidant enzymes. These enzymes assist in protecting cells from damage that result from the oxidation process.

Selenium has the distinction of being the only mineral the FDA makes a qualified health claim for, relative to cancer risk. The FDA website states that “Consuming selenium may produce anti-carcinogenic effects in the body.”

Natural sources of selenium may be found in Brazil nuts, yeast, meat, whole grains and seafood. The FDA approved dosage of selenium as a supplement is 55 mcg.

(By Rachel Stockton, and edited by Heather Kelley)