Different forms of selenium, food sources and more

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Most forms of selenium found in nature are either sodium selenite, selenomethionine, or selenium cysteine. By far the most common form is selenomethionine, and this includes the majority of the selenium found in Brazil nuts (which are the richest source of selenium found in nature, having as much as 533 iu per ounce).

Selected food sources of selenium

 

 

 

 

 

Food

 

Micrograms (μg)

 

PercentDV*

 

 

Brazil nuts, dried, unblanched, 1 ounce

 

544

 

780

 

 

Tuna, light, canned in oil, drained, 3 ounces

 

63

 

95

 

 

Beef, cooked, 3½ ounces

 

35

 

50

 

 

Spaghetti w/ meat sauce, frozen entrée, 1 serving

 

34

 

50

 

 

Cod, cooked, 3 ounces

 

32

 

45

 

 

Turkey, light meat, roasted, 3½ ounces

 

32

 

45

 

 

Beef chuck roast, lean only, roasted, 3 ounces

 

23

 

35

 

 

Chicken Breast, meat only, roasted, 3½ ounces

 

20

 

30

 

 

Noodles, enriched, boiled, 1/2 cup

 

17

 

25

 

 

Macaroni, elbow, enriched, boiled, 1/2 cup

 

15

 

20

 

 

Egg, whole, 1 medium

 

14

 

20

 

 

Cottage cheese, low fat 2%, 1/2 cup

 

12

 

15

 

 

Oatmeal, instant, fortified, cooked, 1 cup

 

12

 

15

 

 

Rice, white, enriched, long grain, cooked, 1/2 cup

 

12

 

15

 

 

Rice, brown, long-grained, cooked, 1/2 cup

 

10

 

15

 

 

Bread, enriched, whole wheat, commercially prepared, 1 slice

 

10

 

15

 

 

Walnuts, black, dried, 1 ounce

 

5

 

8

 

 

Bread, enriched, white, commercially prepared, 1 slice

 

4

 

6

 

 

Cheddar cheese, 1 ounce

 

4

 

6

Note: Although the RDA for selenium is only 55 iu for people age 14 and over (70 iu for pregnant and lactating women), those amounts are like other RDA amounts - bare minimums that do not reflect the optimum amount for best health, much less the therapeutic amounts needed to fight serious disease such as cancer.

In the Berkson Clinical Study which found that selected anti-oxidants and lifestyle changes reversed what had been considered to be hopeless liver damage, the patients were given 400 mcg in 2 divided portions of 200 mcg.

Regardless of the form of selenium utlized, it is a vital co-factor for iodine. However, the best form of selenium is likely Se-methylselenocysteine (SeMC), especially when it comes to fighting and preventing cancer.

Se-methylselenocysteine is found most abundantly in brocolli and garlic which is grown in selenium rich soils.

Here is a bit of info I found:

The most actively produced and sold to the public, selenomethione (SeMSC, found in in higher amounts in grains), has been comparatively ineffective in stopping cancer induced in animal tests. Naturally, it was this form of selenium - in inorganic form at that - which was used in the SELECT test which purported to show that Selenium and Vitamin E (again the wrong form was used), which mainstream medicine has used as "proof" that they are ineffective against cancer.

Besides being an important co-factor for iodine, selenium is now well established as a potent cancer-fighting trace mineral. Areas of the world with more selenium-rich soil have lower cancer rates, and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in the 1990s showed that men taking a daily 200 microgram selenium supplement experienced a 37% lower risk of developing new cancer, and a whopping 50% lower risk of cancer death. But not all forms of selenium are equal in their cancer-fighting properties. To everyone's surprise, the last decade of scientific research has found that selenium's anticancer effect is not due to its use as part of antioxidant or detoxifying compounds in the body. It's also not linked to absolute tissue levels of selenium achieved by a given form of selenium, or to its ability to boost the immune system. Instead, the cancer-fighting potency of any form of selenium is linked to its ability to form methylselenol, a critical selenium metabolite in the body. As a result of this research, science has identified Se-methylselenocysteine, or SeMC, as a form of selenium which is directly and easily converted into this key cancer-fighting metabolite – unlike conventional inorganic (selenite or selenate) or organic (selenomethionine, or selenized yeast) selenium supplements. As a result, SeMC is simultaneously more potent in its cancer-battling prowess, and less toxic per unit of cancer-fighting punch, than any other selenium supplement available.•SeMC is twice as effective as selenomethionine at reducing breast tumor formation after exposure to the chemical carcinogens dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and methylnitrosourea (MNU), and half again as effective as inorganic forms.•At the same time, SeMC is much safer than inorganic selenium, and of comparable safety to the much less-effective selenomethionine.SeMC is the main form of selenium that accumulates in known cancer-fighting foods like broccoli, ramps, garlic, and (to a lesser extent) onions when grown in selenium-rich soil. Studies high-SeMC-cultivars of these vegetables suggest that SeMC is a key element in the cancer-fighting efficacy of these protective vegetables.•High-SeMC broccoli gives animals more protection against early-stage colon cancer than does an equal amount of conventional selenium, an equal amount of regular broccoli, or even a combination of both.•Similar results are seen in battling abnormal cells that lead to breast or colon cancer using high-SeMC garlic vs. the same amount of selenium from high-selenomethionine yeast or Brazil nuts.•SeMC is proven effective in an animal model of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a human genetic vulnerability to colon cancer. No other natural selenium compound has been shown to do this.

Unique Mechanisms of Action: SeMC fights cancer in ways fundamentally different from other selenium forms.•Apoptosis vs Necrosis: Inorganic selenium kills cancer cells through nonselective damage to the DNA and cell membranes of both healthy cells and cancer cells, leading to toxic cell death (necrosis). SeMC selectively activates cancer cells' "suicide program" (apoptosis) without damage to healthy cells.•Gene expression: SeMC regulates cellular growth programs, inhibiting cancer cells earlier in the cell cycle than does inorganic selenium. •Angiogenesis: SeMC may also act by cutting off the growing tumor's blood supply more effectively than the common selenium supplements, without interfering with the growth of blood vessels in normal, healthy tissue. By any measure, SeMC has proved itself to be the best selenium you can take. The National Cancer Institute apparently agrees: it is in the process of filing "Investigational New Drug" documents to use SeMC instead of other selenium supplements in future human trials.

Another thing selenium does - it binds with mercury and helps eliminate it from the body.

Sources included:

http://www.healthbulletin.org/nutrients/nutrients7.htm

http://relentlessimprovement.com/catalog/semc-selenium.htm

The bottom line for me is that, unless I grew my own brocolli, garlic and/or onions in soil I knew to be selenium rich, I would supplement and I would do so with SeMC.

I am going to see if I cannot get Ben at Utopia Silver to change over to SeMC, and I note that one of his favorite suppliers (Jarrow Formulas) carries it.

All the best,

oleander soup , "tedsanford" <tedsanford wrote:>> Tony:> Can you get enough of either form by eating Brazil nuts, and if so how many?> Ted> > oleander soup , "TonyI" @ wrote:> >> > > > That form of selenium is good to use as an important co-factor for> > iodine and is the most common form found, but when it comes to cancer,> > the preferred form is methylselenocycteine which has its own cancer> > fighting abilities from what I have gathered.> > > > All the best,> > > > Tony> > > > > > oleander soup , "ftfft" <micfo07@> wrote:> > >> > > Hi,> > > i just read Tony's protocol, and what he says seems> > > to indicate that utopiasilver's selenium is not one to use.> > >> > > Am i right?> > >> > > Because tony says "The most common form of supplemental selenium is> > selenomethionine whose general proteins have no anticancer activity"> > >> > > And utopiasilver's selenium info is:> > > Selenium (from selenomethionine)> > >> >>