Selenium is a chemical element

in the periodic table that has the symbol Se and atomic number 34. Although some selenuium compounds can be toxic, trace amounts of selenium are a required dietary and nutritional supplement for humans. This supplement may also help the body fight flu infections. This liquid multimineral and multivitamin supplement is an excellent source of required trace mineral elements, as well as herbs, amino acids, and other nutritionals.

Applications

Selenium is an essential micronutrient in all known forms of life; it is a component of the unusual amino acid selenocysteine. Because of its photovoltaic and photoconductive properties, selenium is used extensively in electronics, such as photo cells, and solar cells. Selenium is also extensively used in rectifiers.

Selenium is used to remove color from glass, as it will counteract the green color ferrous impurities impart. It also can be used to give a red color to glasses and enamels. Selenium is used to improve the abrasion resistance in vulcanized rubbers. It also finds application in photocopying.

Another use for selenium is the toning of photographs, and is sold by numerous photographic manufacturers including Kodak and Fotospeed. Its artistic use is to intensify and extend the tonal range of black and white photographic images, and it can also be used for increasing the permanence of images.

Selenium and health

Like zinc, selenium is a trace element in humans. It is used in free radical elimination and other antioxidant enzymes, and also plays a role in the functioning of the thyroid gland. Dietary selenium comes from cereals, meat, fish, and eggs. Brazil nuts are a particularly rich source of selenium.

Selenium deficiency in healthy people is relatively rare. It can occur in patients with severely compromised intestinal function, or those undergoing total parenteral nutrition. Alternatively, people dependent on food that is sourced from selenium-deficient soil are also at risk. The recommended dietary allowance for adults is 55 micrograms per day. More than 400 micrograms per day can lead to toxicity (selenosis).

Selenium-rich Foods and The Flu (Influenza)

Selenium content in foods depends on the amount of selenium in the soil where the plants grow or animals graze. Selenium is incorporated into enzymes that have antioxidant properties. These enzymes are important in protecting cells from damage by free radicals that are produced during infection. Researchers are investigating the relationship between selenium deficiency and mutation of the influenza virus.

See also: What Are Vitamins And Why Are They Healthy?, Health Benefits of Trace Dietary Minerals

Portions of this article are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Selenium”.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 17th, 2005 at 8:58 pm and is filed under Home Remedies, Herbal Cures, and Alternative Medicine, Cold & Flu. Both comments and pings are currently closed.