Sodium selenite is used by farmers to increase selenium levels in animals, but humans have turned to it for medical purposes. It has advantages such as being antimicrobial and effective against cancer, but is not as bioavailable as natural selenium and may be toxic at high doses. Natural selenium is important for organ health and deficiencies can cause health problems. Sodium selenite is used as a medical therapy, particularly for prostate cancer, but critics warn of potential toxicity and suggest obtaining selenium from organic sources such as whole grains and organ meats.
Sodium selenite is a chemical form of selenium, which is a naturally occurring mineral in the earth’s crust. This supplement is an inorganic combination of selenium, oxygen, and sodium. Many farmers use sodium selenite to increase selenium levels in sheep, cattle, pigs, and horses. However, in recent years, humans have turned to the supplement to cure a variety of ailments, from cancer to liver disease. However, controversy over human use persists because some studies suggest that sodium selenite may be toxic at high doses.
The sodium selenite chemical selenium has advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that the supplement is antimicrobial. Another is that of all the inorganic forms of selenium, including monoselenodiacetic acid and selenomethionine, sodium selenite has proven the most successful in thwarting cancer in laboratory tests. One drawback, aside from the supposed toxicity, is that the sodium selenium compound is not as bioavailable as natural selenium.
Natural selenium provides nourishment to the brain and other organs of the body. It is also a natural detoxifier. However, many people and animals are deficient in selenium. Deficiencies are dangerous because, according to published medical studies, they can cause reproductive problems, liver damage, and scarring of the pancreas. Some research suggests that weeping diathesis and muscular dystrophy may also be related to low selenium levels.
Liquid and tablet supplements containing sodium selenite are used to raise selenium in the body. An average dose for adults is approximately 200 micrograms per day. Beyond nutrition, this supplement is used as a medical therapy. For example, doctors treating prostate cancer patients sometimes prescribe sodium selenite and also use traditional treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, and hormones.
There are two reasons why sodium selenite may help prostate cancer go into remission. First, when cancer cells are exposed to sodium selenite, they usually start to die. Second, the chemical compound prevents tumors from spreading. This arrest in tumor growth occurs because sodium selenite prevents cancer cells from receiving signals from androgen receptors. Such signals are necessary for malignant tumors to thrive.
Critics who warn of the potential toxic impact of taking in too much of the chemical selenium often recommend that humans try to obtain sodium from an organic diet. Foods grown in selenium-rich soil generally contain significant amounts of selenium. Meat from animals that have been fed food grown in selenium-rich soil will also have beneficial levels of selenium. Organic sources of selenium can include whole grains, eggs, and organ meats, such as liver and kidneys. However, selenium levels are depleted in foods that have been refined or cooked over high, dry heat.
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