Selenium cuts down the risk of cancer: study

Selenium is a vital mineral for good health and forms selenoproteins which work like antioxidants, preventing damage to cells.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia found people who eat large amounts of the mineral, along with vitamins C and E, are 67 per cent less likely to develop pancreatic cancer, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Previous researches have shown that a good selenium intake in old age helps enhance brain function, so that cognition remains sharp and active.

The richest food sources of selenium are Brazil nuts, kidney, liver and fish, but the foods that make the largest contribution to our selenium intake - because we eat proportionately more of them - are cereals, bread, meat and poultry.

In the long-term, the effects of low intakes can be devastating, says Margaret Rayman, professor of nutritional medicine at the University of Surrey and a leading researcher in selenium's effects.

Rayman detailed selenium's links to everything from enhanced fertility and thyroid function to preventing plaque build-up in the arteries and regulating blood pressure in 'The Lancet'.

A study of men with fertility problems showed that 100 microgrammes of selenium supplements taken daily significantly increased sperm cells' ability to swim, indicating they had been selenium-deficient. Eleven per cent of men who took the supplement went on to father a child.

"Selenium is an essential component of two selenoproteins required for healthy sperm," Rayman said.

"One of these is needed for transportation of selenium into the testes and the other gives sperm a stable structure that allows it to swim," Rayman said.