Selenium Supplements - Discover How You Can Reap The Extraordinary Antioxidant Benefits of Selenium!

What is selenium and how can you benefit from selenium supplements? What are its recommended RDA, precautions and how can you choose the best supplement? Find out the answers here.

Selenium can be classified as a trace mineral found in soil that is required by almost each cell of our body.

It has gained wide popularity in the past two decades due to various studies that point towards the fact that selenium is a highly potent nutrient that can combat the most serious health disorders and life-threatening diseases.

How Can You Benefit From Selenium Supplements?

Selenium works as among the most powerful antioxidants in our body. In fact, its potency is considered to be 200 to 500 times greater than vitamin E (which is another excellent antioxidant).

The role of antioxidants in our body is to neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are chemical substances in our body that are highly reactive and cause cellular damage, which leads to diseases and premature aging.

Numerous studies have revealed that selenium is capable of preventing various types of cancers and protect heart health. It acts as a blood thinner and improves the ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) versus bad cholesterol (LDL).

Studies have also pointed towards the fact that cancer patients that had the lowest selenium levels, developed a greater number of tumors and survived a shorter lifespan as compared to those patients who took more of selenium.

Selenium supplements may also be beneficial for people suffering from arthritis, eczema and psoriasis, as it is also an anti-inflammatory. It also protects the integrity of our eyesight, and prevents the occurrence of conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

Selenium also boosts our immune system strength. It helps in combating the viruses and bacteria and is able to chelate (pull out) the heavy metals (toxins) like lead, mercury and cadmium.

Precautions

You must have heard of the saying "Too much of a good thing, is a bad thing". The same applies for selenium supplements too. A dosage of selenium of over 600 mcg per day is not recommended for extended periods of time.

A dosage of 900 mcg of selenium is known to cause side effects and toxicity symptoms like:

• Skin rashes
• Fatigue
• Nervousness
• Hair loss
• Nausea

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for selenium is --

• For men: 70 mcg
• For women: 55 mcg

Our Opinion

Selenium has been regarded as a very special and beneficial mineral. It has been backed by a number of studies conducted by prestigious universities.

As a majority of the most life-threatening illnesses are believed to be caused due to free radical damage, the role of selenium as a highly potent antioxidant should warrant it special consideration as a part of any person's supplement regimen.

Nevertheless, if you are suffering from a pre-existing medical condition, then it would be wise to talk to your doctor first.

Expert Tips on Choosing the Best Selenium Supplement

1) Selenium works in synergy with other antioxidants such as vitamin E. In order to maximize its benefits, you should use a comprehensive formula that should contain:
 

• Beta carotene
• Alpha lipoic acid
• Green tea extract
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin C

2) For long-term intake of selenium, our advice is that you should stay around the levels of RDA (recommended daily allowance), unless you are taking selenium for any specific therapeutic purposes.

Experts are of the view that a dosage between 50 to 400 mcg of selenium does not create any adverse side effects.  On the other hand, a dosage of more than 600 mcg per day should not be continued for a very long period of time.

3) Opt for selenium supplements that are available in the "chelated" form. The chelated form of minerals are those that are bound with a protein molecule, which facilitates their easy transport into our bloodstream.

In other words, they are absorbed in a much better way by our body and provide greater health benefits.

4) Purchase your health supplements only from pharmaceutical GMP compliant supplement manufacturers.

It has been shown in studies conducted by both government and private organizations that the US consumers have only a 20% chance of purchasing a product which contains exactly the amount of ingredients as has been stated on the product labels!

This is due to the fact that the supplements industry in the US is largely unregulated. Purchasing your supplements only from GMP compliant facilities ensure you maximum purity and product safety because they adhere to the most stringent manufacturing standards.

Your health and well-being would be determined by what type of nutrients you take into your body, so why not buy the best?

A Comprehensive Formula

Among the selenium supplements manufacturing companies, one company that qualifies on all the above mentioned criteria -- and much more -- is Xtend-Life natural products of New Zealand.

Total Balance -- is their flagship product, which contains the chelated form of selenium, in addition to a wide range of synergistic antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, herbal extracts, amino acids, enzymes and speciality nutrients.

In fact, it contains the majority of the nutrients that have been covered on our entire website!

We have been personally taking Total Balance since the last few years and have achieved excellent health benefits.