The article reviews the progress in basic research of selenium and cancer prevention during the past decade. Special emphasis is placed on the following four major areas of discussion: 1) chemical forms of selenium and anticarcinogenic activity; 2) selenium-enriched food; 3) in vitro effects of selenite vs. monomethylated selenium; and 4) aromatic selenium compounds. It is clear that basic rese...

The chemical form and bioavailability of dietary selenium may influence its protectiveness against colorectal cancer. Selenium is readily incorporated into milk proteins by feeding cows with selenized-yeast. This study examined whether a dairy source of organic selenium (as milk proteins) is more effective than a yeast source at inhibiting oncogenesis in carcinogen-treated mice and whether it r...

We evaluated plasma selenium concentrations in patients with euthyroid sick syndrome express by low serum triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations. Selenium status in these patients was compared with that found in patients with both untreated and treated hypothyroidism. Selenium concentrations in plasma were significantly lower in hospitalized patients with either euthyroid sick syndrome (0.99 +/- ...

Selenium is an essential trace element of importance to human biology and health. Increasing evidence suggests that this mineral plays an important role in normal growth and reproduction in animals and humans, and selenium supplementation is now recommended as part of public health policy in geographical areas with severe selenium deficiency in soil. This review addresses the biological functio...

Selenium status was determined in an endemic-goiter area and in a control area of Zaire. Compared with the reference values of a noniodine-deficient area, serum selenium in subjects living in the core of the northern Zaire endemic-goiter belt (Karawa villages) was seven times lower in 52 school-children and similarly low in 23 cretins; erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (RBC-GPX) was five times...

The objective of the study was to determine selenium status and its distribution in the organs of free living foxes from selenium deficient areas of north-western Poland. Samples of organs harvested from 40 foxes shot during the 2008-2009 hunting seasons served as experimental material. Selenium concentration in the organs was determined spectrofluorometrically. Selenium distribution in tissues...

Selenium is a micronutrient mineral found mainly in soils. Studies on selenium have increased rapidly worldwide especially after it has been shown to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer in humans and animals. The exact mechanism of action on how selenium inhibits diseases, in particular cancer, is still unknown. To date, the use of selenium in preventing or treating diseases is limited. ...

In 1938, Moxon discovered that arsenic protected against selenium toxicity. Since that time it has been shown that this protective effect of arsenic against selenium poisoning can be demonstrated in many different animal species under a wide variety of conditions. Antagonistic effects between arsenic and selenium have also been noted in teratologic experiments. Early metabolic studies showed th...

PURPOSE Epidemiologic and clinical data suggest that selenium could prevent prostate cancer, but it has not been shown that supplemental selenium leads to an increased concentration of selenium in prostate tissue compared with adjacent tissue. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We conducted a randomized, controlled, short-term trial of l-selenomethionine (SeMet) versus observation in men with organ-confined...

The world's rare selenium resources need to be managed carefully. Selenium is extracted as a by-product of copper mining and there are no deposits that can be mined for selenium alone. Selenium has unique properties as a semi-conductor, making it of special value to industry, but it is also an essential nutrient for humans and animals and may promote plant growth and quality. Selenium deficienc...