Selenium

• What other names is Selenium known by?
• What is Selenium?
• How does Selenium work?
• Are there safety concerns?
• Are there any interactions with medications?
• Dosing considerations for Selenium

What other names is Selenium known by?

Atomic number 34, Ebselen, Se, Selenite, Selenium Ascorbate, Selenium Dioxide, Selenized Yeast, L-Selenomethionine, Selenomethionine, Sodium Selenite.

What is Selenium?

Selenium is a mineral. It is taken into the body in water and foods. People use it for medicine.

Likely Effective for...

• Preventing selenium deficiency.

Possibly Ineffective for...

• Preventing heart disease.
• Protecting against skin cancers.
• Protecting against lung cancer.
• Protecting against prostate cancer.
• Treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
• Preventing complications and death in critical illness (burns, head injury, etc).
• Diabetes.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• HIV/AIDS; hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis); arthritis (osteoarthritis); rheumatoid arthritis; macular degeneration (eye disease); hayfever; gray hair; mood disorders; chemotherapy side effects, swelling after surgery, abnormal pap smears; infertility; cataracts; chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS); bird flu; preventing miscarriage; protecting against colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and overall cancer risk; and other conditions.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).

Next: How does Selenium work? »