200mcg Selenium in the superior, active Selenomethionine form

The form of selenium within the diet has an important influence on absorption. L-selenomethionine is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is significantly better absorbed and retained in the body than inorganic selenium in the form of selenite or selenate. Organic forms of selenium, such as Selenomethionine, are selenium bound to methionine, an essential amino acid.

Those persons with low nutritional selenium status have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and high rates of cancers of the liver, breast, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, lung, urinary tract, prostate, female reproductive organs, thyroid, blood, oral, and skin.

The connection between selenium and cancer was originally found when researchers evaluated selenium levels in crops and low blood selenium levels and cancer death rates. As with cancer, where the intake of dietary selenium is lowest, so the incidence of cardiovascular disease is highest. Significantly, it has been shown that supplementation with selenium increases the ratio of HDL (good) cholesterol to LDL (bad) cholesterol and inhibits platelet aggregation.

The body's natural antioxidant enzyme, Glutathione peroxidase, is dependent on the presence of selenium. Therefore, when selenium levels are low it suppresses the immune system. A double-blind study found supplementing 200 mcg per day of selenium for three months significantly reduced painful joint involvement in those people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Reduced blood selenium levels have consistently been found in adults with asthma. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) found evidence that selenium-rich foods, such as fish and cereals/whole grains, may protect against asthma in children.

Selenium has been long recognized as essential for successful human reproduction as it is required for sperm maturation and motility, and may reduce the risk of miscarriage. Human studies have shown low dose selenium supplementation to be effective in the correction of male infertility.

Selenium may have a protective effect against mercury and other heavy metal toxicities. Experimental findings have shown that selenium-deficient rodents are more susceptible to the prenatal toxicity of methylmercury. Selenium is an antagonist to cadmium, especially in acute exposures.

In a randomized, prospective, blinded study in 36 patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, selenium supplementation of 200 mcg per day for three months decreased thyroid specific antibodies from 100 percent to 63.6 percent. Even more importantly, nine of 36 patients had complete normalization of thyroid antibody concentrations.

Oxidation of lens proteins is part of the disease process of cataracts. Evaluation of selenium levels in humans has found lower than normal levels in sera and aqueous humour in cataract patients.