- Highly bioavailable form of selenium
- Increases the efficiency of the antioxidant barrier
- Reduces the amount of free radicals
- Eliminates the magnitude of oxidative stress
- Reduces degradation of body structures
- Counteracts the processes of tumorigenesis
- Improves the function of the immune system
- Increases the reliability of the immune system
- Manifests antiviral activity
- Improves the work of the cardiovascular system
- Ensures optimal functioning of the thyroid gland
- Helps maintain high fertility
- Improves mood and attitude to life
- Product without added yeast
- Does not contain gelatin
- Also suitable for vegans
NOW Selenium 200 mcg Veg Capsules is a dietary supplement forselenium with high bioavailability. Coming in the form of vege capsules, it makes it possible to meet the selenium needs of a wide range of people, including those who prefer a much more restrictive approach to diet and choose a lifestyle of veganism. In addition, by providing an easy form of administration without the use of gelatin in the capsule shell, it counteracts the appearance of unpleasant stomach discomfort in people sensitive to the ingredient.
Selenium - Trace element, a mineral necessary for the proper functioning of the human body. Discovered in 1817 by Jöns Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist. It is mainly found in large amounts in: meat, fish, Brazil nuts, yeast, cereal products, including oatmeal and pasta, and brassica, garlic and legume vegetables. From plant foods it is taken in the form of inorganic selenates and selenides, sometimes also organic selenomethionine, from animal products only in the form of highly bioavailable organic compounds. Depending on the source, an intake of selenium by an average adult of 45-70 µg per day is considered necessary. Interestingly, in regions where food is abundant in selenium, such as the United States, its intake exceeds the recommended amount, reaching 100-150 µg/day. The magnitude of the need may increase, depending on a number of factors, especially: increased exposure to oxidative stress, such as in athletes, people living under constant stress or smokers, as well as with increased exposure to carcinogens. Normal plasma selenium concentrations are considered to be 70-150 µg/l.
Selenoproteins
As a rule, the most spectacular positive effects induced by the presence of selenium in the body are due to its indispensability in the construction of selected, a dozen enzymes called selenoproteins. Among the most notable are: glutathione peroxidases, thioredoxin reductases, iodothyronine deionidases and several others with diverse functions.
- Via glutathione peroxidases, the efficiency of the antioxidant barrier is improved, thereby increasing the ability of the body to protect itself from oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxides and organic peroxides.
- Participation in the structure of thioredoxin reductases allows thioredoxin and protein disulfide reduction processes to occur. In addition, they are an essential link in the formation of genetic material and programmed cell death.
- Providing the required regularity of deionidases allows the removal of iodine taking an important part in, among other things, the activation and inactivation of thyroid hormones.
- Other selenoproteins, in turn, affect, among other things: calcium management, participate in protection against excessive oxidative stress, support the work of the immune system, are involved in the proper development of structures built in the body, or watch over the maintenance of high fertility
Strengthening the antioxidant barrier
Selenium being present in the structures of relevant enzymes, mainly glutathione peroxidases, and interacting in the system with glutathione, is involved in the reduction of hydrogen peroxides and organic peroxides containing an oxygen bridge. By leading to the inactivation of harmful reactive compounds, it reduces their aggressiveness, protecting existing structures from destabilization, or destruction.
Anticancer effects
Selenium appears to be present comprehensively in the natural anti-cancer mechanism operating in the body:
- Because of some pro-oxidant activity, it enhances the formation of reactive oxygen species around abnormally altered cells. By disturbing their unstable oxido-reductive balance, it leads to a halt in development processes, triggers the body's immune response to the toxic cell, and leads the cell in question to the path of apoptosis.
- By altering thiol groups, it interferes with the signaling of abnormally altered cells and limits their development by blocking transcription factors
- By inducing chromatin modifications, it damages the genetic material of cancer cells and inhibits the process of angiogenesis, which is essential for their survival
Improves immune response
Probably due to improved expression of receptors for interleukin 2, selenium ensures adequate development, proper transformation and maintenance of the required activity of T lymphocytes and improves activation of NK cells. Adequate amounts of selenium also prove to be important for the emerging balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory macrophages, where reduced concentrations of the element in question favor the activity of pro-inflammatory macrophages, when elevated concentrations will favor the activity of anti-inflammatory macrophages.
Antiviral properties
Selenium, by delaying the formation of more virulent forms of RNA viruses, reduces the number of infections that arise. In addition, although no undeniably effective anti-HIV and Hepatitis B virus therapy using selenium has been demonstrated to date, the significant contribution of the element in slowing the occurrence of adverse effects caused by infection with the aforementioned viruses is noted.
Ensuring proper functioning of the thyroid gland
The magnitude of the role played by selenium in maintaining the proper functioning of the thyroid gland is made apparent by the very fact that the element in question is present in the highest concentration precisely in the mentioned organ. Entering into the composition of deiodinases, it enables the transformation of thyroid hormones, influencing the creation of their activity. In addition, ensuring adequate activity of the third isoform of glutathione peroxidase, it reduces the level of reactive oxygen species formed during the synthesis of thyroid hormones, especially during periods of iodine deficiency, when more TSH is created, the formation of which is accompanied by increased production of oxidative compounds. By lowering the likelihood of uncontrolled oxidative processes, it reduces the breakdown of structures, or fibrosis of the thyroid gland. It also reduces the occurrence of inert wills, hypothyroidism and autoimmune inflammation.
Maintaining good cardiovascular health
By influencing the maintenance of adequate activity of glutathione peroxidase isoenzyme four, selenium reduces the oxidation of phospholipids and lipoprotein-bound cholesterol moving through the circulatory system. This reduces the magnitude of adverse structural changes and lowers the aggressiveness of the environment formed in the vessels.
Effects on fertility
Selenium is an essential element in the production of testosterone and the regularity of spermatogenesis. In addition, largely mediated by antioxidant enzymes, including the fourth isoenzyme of glutathione peroxidase, selenium protects the structures of the sperm and the mitochondria within it from destruction. This allows for the required stability of the spermatozoon and induces greater sperm motility for efficient delivery of correct genetic material.
Neuroprotective effect
The important role of selenium in maintaining the oxido-reductive balance in the nervous system is most evident from the example of the brain, in which this organ its concentration is constant, even after a decrease in the overall level of the mineral in the body. By strengthening the antioxidant barrier of the central nervous system, it ensures the constancy of neuronal structures and their proper development, which ensures their required efficiency and delays the possible onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
Maintaining mental balance
Although the mechanisms of selenium's influence on the human psyche have not been fully clarified, there is no doubt that maintaining adequate levels of the element in the body is essential for ensuring good mood and serenity. This fact is partly explained by the effect of selenium on maintaining regularities in neurotransmission. In people with prolonged, reduced daily intake of selenium from food, depressive states, discouragement to life and hostility to the environment become apparent. Taking adequate amounts of selenium throughout the day helps restore a positive attitude to life.
Effects of deficiency
Selenium deficiency significantly affects a person's mental sphere. It leads to symptoms of depression, feelings of anxiety, restlessness, negative attitudes towards the world and disorientation. It also negatively affects the proper functioning of the immune system, including the immune system, as well as the cardiovascular, skeletal and articular systems and kidney function. Susceptibility to the progression of tumorigenesis is also increased. Among the ailments most identified with selenium deficiency are Keshan disease, which accompanies adverse changes in the heart muscle, and Kashin-Beck disease, which causes degradation of cartilage tissue in the joints.
It is worth remembering that for a large majority of minerals, both their deficiency and excess in the diet are detrimental to the body. Taking too much selenium in a given unit of time can be recognized by the occurrence of: repeated nausea and diarrhea, garlicky mouth odor, a feeling of permanent weakness, deterioration of nails and hair loss. Hence, before and during long-term selenium intake, it is advisable to measure selenium in plasma, or, if a particular test is not needed, to take breaks in continuous supplementation.
Excellent bioavailability and high safety of use
Selenium can be found in nature in the form of less bioavailable inorganic compounds, such as selenides and selenates, as well as much better bioavailable organic forms, among which selenomethionine and selenocysteine. Selenomethionine, used in the product, is a molecule formed by the rearrangement of the essential amino acid methionine, in whose structure the sulfur located at the 4th carbon was replaced by a selenium atom. With the efficiency of absorption of selenomethionine, it is only slightly inferior to its structurally related form - selenocysteine. Thus, the use of the organic form of selenium in the NOW Selenium 200 mcg Veg Capsules product ensures high bioavailability of the element and its optimal use by the body. It is worth mentioning that the use of selenomethionine, allows to replace yeast as a common source of selenium, making supplementation safer and allergen-free.
High-quality Veg Capsules without gelatin
The selenomethionine encapsulation process incorporating Veg Capsules as the product's envelope allows the elimination of gelatin, which is undesirable for many people. This removes the adverse stomach discomfort caused by gelatin-based casings and allows people who shy away from zoonotic products, including vegans, to take a high-quality product.
NOW Selenium 200 mcg Veg Capsules is a dietary supplement that supplements the diet with highly bioavailable selenium delivered in the form of selenomethionine. Effectively supplementing selenium levels, it strengthens the antioxidant barrier, supports the body's defense processes, takes care of the proper development of built structures, supports the condition of numerous systems, including the circulatory and nervous systems, supports the maintenance of required fertility and improves mood and attitude to life. The encapsulation of the product in gelatin-free capsules allows the supplement to be taken also by vegans and people who are uncomfortable with the use of gelatin-based capsules. The absence of the addition of yeast as a common selenium carrier in similar products, deprives the product of allergens that are unfavorable in many cases.
