Selenium Experiment 5.5 times US RDA

[Guest guest]

Sally,

I would like to flirt but am too shy.

Tried to find something bad about selenium in humans at US Dept

Aggriculture site with little luck. Did find that animals in the

selenium belt that ate nothing but loco weed which is very rich in

selenium sometimes got sick and could even die.

Apparently the locco weed is the first thing to sprout in the spring

and the animals develop a taste for it and eat it pretty exclusively

all year. I have decided to cut back on the loco weed but like the

animals, fear I have developed a taste for it.

Instead found a USDA program where the Gov has recognized the cancer

preventing benefits and is preparing for food supplementaltion with

selenium. They are testing pretty high levels of selenium 300mcg in

healthy volunteers longterm with little ill effect except lowered

sperm mobility. Looks like they are making sure the dangers of too

much are not high. The experiment uses 300mcg and year one of a

multi year study is complete.

Another 10 year study compleated with 200mcg which most studies show

as the optimal amount shows a 50% decrease in all cancer deaths in 10

years.

You're so lucky to have a doc smart enough to keep up with the

research and get you on a program long ago. If you wern't with

e and me now I'd say kiss that doc.

Studies shown below:

USDA Agg Research:

The selenium experiment, now in its second phase, will provide new,

detailed information about this mineral. More than 30 healthy men

aged 18 to 45 are participating as volunteers in this study.

For 1 year, half the volunteers will take a daily capsule that

provides five and one-half times the Recommended Dietary Allowance of

selenium in the form of high-selenium yeast. The other half will

receive a daily placebo—a capsule that looks the same but contains

only yeast and no selenium.

Cancer

In 1996, Larry (formerly at Arizona Cancer Center), Gerald

Combs (currently the Center Director at the Grand Forks Human

Nutrition Research Center) and coworkers conducted a prolonged study

of the effectiveness of selenium supplementation against developing

cancer. The study was conducted in the Southeastern U.S.. and

included 1312 people with a previous history of skin cancer. For ten

years people were given a daily placebo, or 200 micrograms of

selenium (this is almost four times the recommended amount of 55

micrograms per day). The selenium was in the form of yeast that had

been grown to be high in selenium. People who consumed the selenium

supplement had an almost 50% decrease in incidence and death from all

cancers. In addition, the scientists found an even greater decrease

in the incidence of prostate cancer and colon cancer. They also found

an equal decrease in lung cancer, which is the leading cause of

cancer death in the U.S. While this study provides the strongest

evidence of the ability of selenium to protect against cancer, there

are several other human studies and many animal studies that also

show a protective benefit of selenium.