Is Selenium Slowing COVID-19 Death Rates in China?
By: Tara Garfield, Ms, Rdn
Tags: Selenium, Nutrition, Covid 19, Wellness, Health

By Tara Garfield & Ava Scarpato, Rejuvenan Nutrition Team

A balanced diet, which can help maintain an optimized immune system is an essential part of the prevention and management of viral infections like COVID-19. While we are still learning about the impact of nutrition on COVID-19, there is evidence from clinical trials pre-dating COVID-19 that supports nutrition-based interventions for viral diseases — specifically respiratory infections. The naturally occurring element, selenium, has shown favorable immune-modulating effects in viral respiratory infections in the past, and has recently been associated with an increased COVID-19 cure rate in China. This new finding may increase public interest in selenium as a potentially supportive nutrient in the management of COVID-19 infections.

What is Selenium?

Selenium is an essential trace element necessary for optimum health. It can be found in rocks, soil, and water. While soil acts as a natural filter for contaminants, it is also a major source of nutrients and plays a role in the quality of food production. Whether you consume animal products or follow a plant-based diet, your food has had contact with the soil. This relationship between soil and food affects how trace elements like selenium enter the food chain.

Adequate consumption of selenium plays an important role in immunity, reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism, and DNA synthesis. Like vitamin E, selenium acts as an antioxidant that works to protect us from oxidative damage and infection. Consuming an adequate amount may reduce the severity of certain viral diseases. For example, selenium status in those with HIV seems to be an important factor in the progression of the virus.

Am I Consuming Enough Selenium?

Among healthy people in the United States, selenium deficiencies are uncommon. Most adults are able to achieve the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 55 micrograms of selenium each day by consuming a variety of foods. The richest sources of selenium include brazil nuts, seafood, and organ meats. However, the major food sources of selenium in the American diet are breads, grains, meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. The amount of selenium in plant-based foods depends on the amount of selenium in the soil in which they were grown; therefore, the selenium concentration in different foods will vary by geographic location. The quantities in animal products can also vary, as the selenium content of soil affects the amount in the plants that animals eat.

Selenium is available in multivitamin/mineral supplements and as a stand-alone supplement; however, most Americans consume adequate amounts through diet alone. Chronically high intakes of selenium can cause selenium toxicity or selenosis. Some early indicators of excess intake are bad breath, nausea, vomiting, brittle nails, and hair loss. The tolerable upper intake level, or the maximum amount that can be consumed without adverse effects, is 400 micrograms per day for adult men and women.

Selenium and COVID-19 Outcomes in China

A recent research study has identified a potential link between COVID-19 outcomes and selenium status in infected individuals in China. Due to its diverse landscapes and varied selenium concentrations in the soil, China has populations with some of the highest and lowest selenium statuses in the world.

Examining provinces and municipalities with more than 200 cases, and cities with more than 40 cases, researchers found that locations with higher levels of selenium in their soil were more likely to recover from COVID-19. Enshi, a city within the Hubei Province, has the highest selenium consumption in China with a cure rate three times greater than those in neighboring locations. Alternatively, Heilongjiang Province has one of the lowest rates of selenium intake and an average death rate five times greater than surrounding regions.

Although this study identified a significant link between selenium status and COVID-19 cure rate, there is still no definitive cure or treatment for this disease. Researchers stated: “it is important not to overstate this finding; we have not been able to work with individual level data and have not been able to take account of other possible factors such as age and underlying disease.” Still, this information is useful and may help guide future studies to a possible solution.

What does this mean for you? Like always, we recommend consuming a healthy, balanced, nutrient-dense diet that includes all the essential nutrients your immune system needs to function properly and mount a strong defense.