With the rapid course of modern life, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to maintain the right balance of vitamins, minerals and minerals in the body. As a result, you need to be able to make the right daily diet and eat varied, without giving preference to any specific foods, otherwise you can get big health problems. Selenium for the woman’s body is an essential mineral that helps maintain health and beauty.
Trace characteristics
Selenium is considered a trace element of longevity, which is due to its unusual properties. In the periodic table, Mendeleev is located under serial number 34, in the sixth column. It is a black non-metal, which under normal conditions does not react with oxygen, water or acids. In laboratories, during chemical reactions it dissolves in nitric acid (concentrated), as well as in alkaline solutions (oxidized when interacting with them).
The mineral has the property of actively migrating in the biosphere. The human body accumulates from thermal water, volcanic smoke and limestone rocks. That is why in places of ancient or modern volcanism, the soil is most enriched in this mineral. Products grown on this soil will contain selenium necessary for humans, the benefits of which have been proven by more than one study.
Why selenium is considered a mineral of longevity
The antioxidant properties of the mineral in terms of its effects on the body are similar to vitamin E, which is why these substances can replace each other in various physiological processes that occur in the body.
The antioxidant effect is manifested by neutralizing free radicals that disrupt the recovery processes. Selenium is able to oxidize free radicals, supporting skin health and the normal production of collagen for its elasticity. As a result, selenium is a necessary trace element for a woman’s body.
In addition, it affects the integrity of nucleic acids, ensuring the absence of gene mutations, storage and transmission of hereditary information. In no case can you arrange for starvation starvation, as this can be fraught with rapid biological aging of the body, as well as a reduction in life expectancy.
Selenium: why does the body need this trace element?
In the human body, selenium is concentrated in certain places (pancreas, bone marrow, lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, legs and hair). Features of its location suggest the principles of the impact of the trace element on the body:
- provides increased immunity;
- prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases;
- part of hormones, proteins and enzymes;
- has a normalizing effect on metabolic processes, allowing the body to quickly and easily cope with the digestion of food and the breakdown of trace elements;
- Helps prevent the development of malignant tumors in the body;
- normalizes the functioning of the nervous system, increasing stress resistance;
- reduces the content of toxic substances in the body (such as mercury, silver, lead and others);
- normalizes the endocrine system;
- regulates reproductive function in men due to the fact that it is included in the chemical composition of sperm ;
- affects the condition of the skin, hair and nails, making them strong, elastic and healthy.
Selenium for the body of a woman is necessary for the normal course of all physiological and biological processes in the body.
What is dangerous selenium starvation
In the case when selenium does not enter the body for a long time, metabolic processes slow down, overweight and the likelihood of developing obesity appear. In addition, with prolonged selenium starvation, the following can occur:
- myocardial infarction;
- coronary heart disease;
- cancerous tumors;
- rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis;
- multiple sclerosis;
- bronchial asthma.
For an adult, it is necessary to obtain a daily norm of selenium equal to 1 μg / 1 kg of weight. Pregnant and lactating women, athletes, smokers and people engaged in heavy physical labor, it is necessary to consume selenium in greater quantities. The benefits for the body of this trace element is indispensable.
Symptoms of selenium deficiency and overdose
With a lack of selenium, chronic fatigue develops in the body, a person quickly gets tired, feels weak, loses visual acuity, irritation, dermatitis, eczema appear on the skin, pain in the muscles is felt, and elevated cholesterol levels are found in the blood. This is only a small part of the symptoms, the rest can be detected only by laboratory tests.
When the body receives an excessive dose of a microelement, a garlic taste is felt in the mouth, attacks of nausea, psycho-emotional disorders can occur. This condition occurs when the daily norm is exceeded (approximately more than 5 mg).
Selenium for a woman's body: contraindications and benefits
The powerful antioxidant selenium allows you to maintain skin elasticity longer, this action is especially well manifested in conjunction with the intake of vitamin E, which helps to absorb the trace element of longevity faster. Mineral selenium is necessary for the body to maintain healthy hair, accelerating its natural growth. In the presence of dandruff, the trace element in the composition will effectively neutralize this problem.
The benefits of selenium for the body of women is invaluable in the process of losing weight. Its ability to speed up metabolism has a positive effect on the rate of breakdown of deferred fats, as a result of which a complete diet in combination with physical exercises will give a faster result. The only contraindication to taking is an excessive dose of a trace element.
The effect of selenium on physiological processes
Selenium for the woman’s body is a fundamental mineral that maintains natural attractiveness and beauty. During pregnancy, when a woman has a very unstable emotional background, selenium will normalize the condition and provide the developing baby with all the necessary trace elements and minerals.
Due to its beneficial effect, selenium reduces the possibility of developing pathologies in the fetus, spontaneous miscarriage or fetal freezing.
Women who consume this microelement in sufficient quantities are less susceptible to viral and infectious diseases, since selenium increases the body's defenses, which is very important during the period of bearing a child and breastfeeding.
Why is the balance of selenium in the body important?
To maintain good health and well-being, it is necessary to clearly balance the microelement in the body. Selenium, the harm to the body of which can manifest itself both from an overabundance, and from a lack of mineral, it is important to use in limited quantities, which will not exceed the allowable daily dose. But at the same time, the trace element should be enough for the flow of important physiological and metabolic processes.
It should also be taken into account that taking alcohol and birth control pills, as well as smoking, significantly depletes selenium in the body. Therefore, you need to include as much as possible fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet without subjecting them to processing. Only in this case, the body will receive the necessary amount of mineral and function properly.
What foods contain selenium?
Having figured out the question of why selenium is needed in a woman's body, it should be determined from which food products it can be obtained in the required quantity. Selenium is contained in:
- seafood;
- fish
- meat offal;
- liver
- cereals;
- eggs
- mushrooms;
- garlic
- sunflower seeds;
- almonds;
- vegetables and fruits.
By regularly consuming these foods, you can easily maintain the perfect balance of trace elements and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the body. It is important to note that after heat treatment the amount of trace elements in the product is reduced by half. Therefore, it is better to consume most of the products in fresh form, which will allow the most efficient use of selenium for a woman's body. Reviews of synthetic micronutrient supplements suggest that these drugs are not of proper benefit to humans, and in some cases can even worsen the condition.
The effects of selenium on cardiovascular disease
The lack of selenium in the body is one of the main reasons why a person develops susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases. Scientists have found that people who eat a sufficient amount of this trace element are 70% less likely to have heart disease. In particular, selenium eliminates toxic substances (mercury, lead), the accumulation of which leads to blockage of the coronary vessels.
By maintaining the correct balance of selenium in the body, you can be confident in your health. Knowing how useful selenium is for the body, you can skillfully regulate your condition by using the right dose of the mineral and consuming it from natural unprocessed foods.
Thyroid Effects of Selenium
Selenium has the ability to produce glutathione peroxidase - an enzyme that stimulates the production of thyroid hormone, which normalizes the endocrine system, maintaining metabolism at the right level and preventing the development of obesity.
In addition, glutathione peroxidase also has an anti-inflammatory effect. For this reason, in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, colitis, asthma and psoriasis, selenium must be present in sufficient quantities in the diet. The body properties of this trace element have a strong effect in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
The effect of selenium on cancerous tumors
This issue is very controversial and is still being actively studied by all the luminaries of modern medicine. In the clinic of Dr. Atkins, selenium preparations are a priority in the prevention or treatment of cancer. However, his opinion that selenium-based supplements can reduce the incidence of cancer by 40% is not supported by most doctors and scientists, since selenium can be toxic to the human body.
In German laboratories, doctors concluded that selenium is highly toxic, the additives of which, on the contrary, negatively affect human health. To update the immune system and prevent mutation processes in cells that can cause the development of cancerous tumors, it is necessary to use products containing natural selenium. The benefit and harm to the body of this mineral will in any case be studied for a long time by leading experts.
To maintain your health, you need to get a trace element with water and food, but you must definitely refuse to take supplements and vitamins based on selenium, since its overabundance can lead to negative consequences.
How does selenium interact with vitamins?
It is not difficult to understand why this mineral is needed for the body, but vitamins, in particular E and C, play an important role in the absorption of a microelement by the body. When interacting with them, the antioxidant effect of selenium is most fully manifested, and, accordingly, the fight against aging and other problems is manifested effectively.
The correct balance of trace elements and vitamins makes it possible to withstand age-related changes in vision (in particular, prevents the development of cataracts), improves the state of the cardiovascular system (protects against stroke and heart attack, arthritis and various damage to blood vessels). That is why it is important to maintain selenium at a certain level.
Useful properties for the body, updating and supporting the immune system, allow you to resist dangerous diseases (AIDS, cancer, heart disease), so you need to carefully monitor your diet in order to be able to correct it in time and fill the body with necessary microelements and vitamins.