Lower your risk of skin cancer by 60% with selenium
Added 02.06.2009
Summer is upon us and for many of us that means more time spent under the hot sun; but overexposure to the sun can be very damaging and increase your risk of skin cancer. Selenium, researchers say, can cut that risk by up to 60%.
Skin cancer cases on the rise.
Cancer Research UK estimates that there are about 100,000 new cases of skin cancer every year in the UK alone. There are two main types of skin cancer (non-melanoma and malignant melanoma) both of which are on the increase. Tanning beds and overexposure to the sun (repeated sunburns) can increase your risk of both types of skin cancer and so can contact with arsenic, exposure to radiation, chronic inflammatory skin conditions and burn, scar and tissue complications. Up to 80% of patients taking immunosuppressant drugs (given after an organ transplant) develop non-melanoma skin cancer.Selenium reduces skin cancer risk.
A study published this year in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention reveals that selenium reduces the risk of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, the most common forms of non-melanoma skin cancer.The Scientific Study
Background information
485 adults from an Australian community were examined for associations between blood levels of selenium, and other antioxidant nutrients, and incidence of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma for a period of eight years.
Results
The highest selenium levels (between 1.3 and 2.8 micromoles/litre) were linked to a 57% reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma and a 64% reduced risk of squamous cell carcinoma compared to the lowest selenium levels (0.4 to 1.0 micromoles).
What is selenium?
Selenium is an essential trace mineral that protects intracellular structures against oxidative damage. It is vital for the function of over 80 proteins in our body that help build heart muscles and maintain healthy sperm.Is your selenium level too low?
Please see Dr. Bo Nielsen's comments below.How to get sufficient levels of selenium.
Natural sources of selenium include Brazil nuts, seafood, organ meats, eggs, cereals and grains, but the selenium content is dependent on how much of the mineral is present in the soil and how much is absorbed by crops and plants or indirectly by eating meat from animals that grazed on selenium-rich crops and plants. Quite often, the amount of selenium from these food sources is just not enough and supplementation with a high quality multivitamin that contains selenium (such as Doctor's Natural Vitamins) is a much better alternative.References:
Van der Pols, J.C. & all. "Serum antioxidants and skin cancer risk: An 8-year community-based follow-up study." Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Vol. 18, Issue 4, pp. 1167-1173. First published online March 31, 2009.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey -2004 (NHANES) under CDC (Centers for Disease and Prevention Control).
Bruno R S et al. Human vitamin E requirements assessed with the use of apples fortified with deuterium-labeled α-tocopheryl acetate. Am J Clin Nutr 2006; 83:299-304.
Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD,DrPH; Robert H. Fletcher, MD,MSc. Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. "Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults." Scientific Review. JAMA. 2002; 287: 3116-3126; FDA Report: JAMA meta-analysis.
Dr. Bo Nielsen's comments:
An interesting question to ask is how many of us get sufficient amounts of selenium from our diet? The answer is quite clear: According to several scientific studies more than 80% of us do not even get the recommended daily allowance, which most researchers even consider too low to be able to effectively protect us from developing many of the diseases we die of. We know that low selenium and low vitamin E increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by 11 times. We also know that selenium is vital in protecting us from many other types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. This new study adds skin cancer to the long list of diseases that you may be able to prevent by taking a supplement with selenium. How much selenium do I recommend my family and friends to take based on the most recent research? A daily mineral supplement with 200 micrograms in an absorbable biochemical form (selenomethionine) of selenium is what I recommend and take myself.
Doctor's Natural Minerals for men and women include 200 micrograms of selenomethionine.
