Research indicates that low plasma and cellular levels of selenium may increase the risk of developing many types of cancer (here). Research also indicates that supplementing with 200 µg per day of selenium as yeast, may reduce the overall cancer mortality and morbidity by over 50 %1. Research published in the American Journal of Nutrition in 20042, investigated the association between serum selenium concentration and the risk of cancer in 1103 subjects over a 15 year period in China. The results showed that there was an inverse association between the serum selenium concentration at time of testing and the deaths from both esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric cardia cancer in the subsequent 15 year period. These results supported previous findings from the same authors that showed an inverse relationship between selenium and cancer.
The research was conducted in Lin Xian, part of the Henan province of China. Here malnutrition is common and rates of esophageal and gastric cancer are high. In a larger trial conducted on the same population3, nearly 30,000 residents were supplemented with various combinations of nutrients for just over 5 years. The group supplemented with β‑carotene and α-tocopherol had a 9 % reductions in all-cause mortality and a 13 % reduction in total cancer mortality. There was also a tend towards reductions in other forms of cancer but the reductions were not statistically significant. These figures are important because they were attained with the supplementation of just two nutrients to people who had nutrient poor diets. It would be interesting to speculate on the results of a trial involving an holistic supplement programme over a longer time span, beginning in early childhood.
RdB
