Evidence is accumulating that this mineral is an important antioxidant and plays many important roles in the body. However, it's too early to recommend selenium supplements for everyone. Eat foods rich in selenium, and if you take a multivitamin, make sure it contains some selenium, preferably an organic form from yeast. In the search for nutrients that might prevent cancer, selenium has recently taken on a certain star quality.
Selenium is used in an array of important compounds in the body.
A lack of selenium impairs the immune system, but high doses don't seem to improve immunity in healthy people. Among other functions, selenium acts as an antioxidant and appears to play a key role in reducing the risk of some cancers. Other studies have suggested a link between high selenium intake and a reduced risk of lung cancer. And there's evidence that people who live in sections of the country where selenium levels in the soil are high have lower risks of cancers of the lung, breast, and digestive tract. In China a clinical trial found that eating selenium-enriched yeast reduced the risk of liver cancer.