Selenium complex - Information

Selenium – an important antioxidant

Selenium is an element with many functions in the body. Selenium acts in itself as a strong antioxidant, but is also the main component of the body's own antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase. As an antioxidant, selenium is important for the breakdown of, among other things, hydrogen peroxide and fatty acid peroxides. When selenium breaks these down, it also prevents the formation of free radicals that otherwise contribute to aging, for example. Selenium also enhances the effects of vitamin E and vitamin C, which are also important antioxidants.

The immune system is dependent on selenium

Selenium contributes to the function of the immune system in several ways. Selenium stimulates the production of antibodies, strengthens the function of T cells and macrophages and increases activity in the thymus (thymus) where the T cells mature. T cells are part of the adaptive immune system formed in response to a specific pathogen. After infection, it takes about 1 week before the adaptive immune system is fully developed. Should we then encounter the same pathogen again, the T cells recognize it and can act quickly and effectively.

Selenium deficiency

Selenium is found in both vegetable and animal foods in varying amounts. Some examples of foods that contain selenium are fish, shellfish, eggs, butter, brown rice, nuts and seeds. According to the Swedish Food Agency, adults get 40-50 µg of selenium per day on average, which is just below the recommended daily intake of 50-60 µg. This is largely due to the fact that foods no longer contain as much selenium as they did in the past. The soils are depleted and low in selenium, which has reduced our selenium intake over time, especially in Sweden. Selenium can advantageously be taken in the form of supplements as a supplement to the daily diet to ensure an adequate and optimal intake.

Selenium deficiency can also be linked to higher infectiousness and a more negative disease course in viral infections such as influenza.

Selenium for normal thyroid function

The thyroid gland is an organ that affects almost all functions in the body, but its most important task is to regulate the body's metabolism. The thyroid gland produces so-called thyroid hormones at the behest of the hypothalamus in the brain, which detects when the hormone levels in the blood drop. The hypothalamus then sends a signal to the pituitary gland, which in turn produces a hormone called TSH. TSH is sent to the thyroid and tells it to produce the prohormone T4 as well as the active thyroid hormone T3. To form T3, the thyroid gland is dependent on selenium . A large proportion of T4 is converted in the liver to T3 and then transported into the cells where the hormone regulates the cell's metabolism such as energy and heat production.