Selenium 200mcg

What Is Selenium?

Selenium is a trace mineral, needed in microgram amounts, and how much of it a food carries depends almost entirely on the soil that food grew in. Here it arrives as L-selenomethionine: the amino acid methionine with selenium sitting where sulfur usually does. That is the form plants build.

How It Works in the Body

The body does not use selenium loose. It builds the atom into selenocysteine, an amino acid the genetic code has a dedicated instruction for, and then into roughly two dozen selenoproteins. Glutathione peroxidases use that selenium to break peroxides down into water. Thioredoxin reductases keep cell proteins in their working redox state. Deiodinases use it to convert thyroid hormone into its active form.

What It Supports

• Antioxidant defense: Selenium sits in the active site of the glutathione peroxidases, so it plays a role in the body's antioxidant system.
• Thyroid function: The enzymes that activate thyroid hormone are selenoproteins, so selenium supports normal thyroid function.
• Immune function: Immune cells carry selenoproteins of their own, and selenium supports normal immune function.
• Reproductive health: A selenoprotein forms part of the structure of the sperm tail, so selenium is required for normal sperm development.

Who It May Suit

Selenium in food tracks the ground it grew in, so intake varies by region and by diet. This suits people eating mostly plant foods from selenium-poor soils, and anyone who would rather have an amino-acid-bound form than a mineral salt. The capsule is cellulose, so it fits vegetarian eating.

Good To Know

Selenium has a narrower margin between enough and too much than most minerals, so the amount matters. Talk with your healthcare provider before use, especially if you already take a multivitamin that includes selenium, eat Brazil nuts often, or take thyroid medication.