COVID-19 Supplements: Study Shows Dietary Selenium Influences Outcome Of COVID-19 Disease
Source: COVID-19 Supplements Apr 30, 2020 4 years, 7 months, 3 weeks, 23 hours ago
COVID-19 Supplements: Medical researchers from the University Of Surrey have identified a correlation between dietary Selenium levels in the body and recovery or death rates of those with the COVID-19 disease in China.
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The study findings are published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa095/5826147
Though selenium is an essential trace element obtained from the right dietary sources (such as fish, meat and cereals), it has been found in past studies to affect the severity of a number of viral diseases in animals and humans.
In HIV patients for instance, selenium status has been shown to be an important factor in the progression of the disease to AIDs and death from the condition.
Typically it is the lack of selenium that leads to viral infections progressing more aggressively and deadly.
Interestingly, China is known to have populations that have both the lowest and highest selenium status in the world, due to geographical differences in the soil which affect how much of the trace element gets into the food chain.
Dr Margaret Rayman, Professor of nutritional medicine at the University of Surrey told
Thailand Medical News, "Given the history of viral infections associated with selenium deficiency, my team of researchers wondered whether the appearance of COVID-19 in China could possibly be linked to the belt of selenium deficiency that runs from the north-east to the south-west of the country."
Upon detailed analysis of data from provinces and municipalities with more than 200 cases and cities with more than 40 cases, the medical researchers found that areas with high levels of selenium, infected patients were more likely to recover from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
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For instance, in the city of Enshi in Hubei Province, which has the highest selenium intake in China, the recovery rate (percentage of COVID-19 patients declared 'recovered') was almost three-times higher than the average for all the other cities in Hubei Province.
However in Heilongjiang Province, where selenium intake is among the lowest in the world, the death rate from COVID-19 was almost five-times as high as the average of all the other provinces outside of Hubei.
Significantly, the medical researchers found that the COVID-19 recovery rate was significantly associated with selenium status, as measured by the amount of selenium in hair, in 17 cities outside of Hubei.
Dr Kate Be
nnett, a medical researcher at the University of Surrey, commented, "There is a significant link between selenium status and COVID-19 cure rate, however 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."
Dr Ramy Saad, a doctor at Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, with an MSc degree in Nutritional Medicine from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Surrey, commented, "The correlation we have identified is compelling, particularly given previous research on selenium and infectious diseases. As such, a careful and thorough assessment of the role selenium may play in COVID-19 is certainly justified and may help to guide ongoing public-health decisions."
The general public is advised to always consult a medical doctor prior consuming any supplements including selenium as selenium can interact with certain drugs including statins, corticosteroids, niacin, birth control pills, chemotherapy drugs etc. Also for those with skin cancer, selenium can aggravate and worsen conditions.
Also for those planning to take selenium supplements after consulting a doctor and checking on the right dosing, always purchase only reliable brands from the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan. Stay away from supplements made in Asian countries as most are inferior or substandard.
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