Selenium lowers the risk of prostate cancer

Europeans get too little selenium

Selenium is a so-called micro-nutrient that we get from, among other things, fish, shellfish, innards, nuts, and whole-grain. The selenium content in European diets is relatively low compared with e.g. that of a North American diet, which is down to the fact that European agricultural soil has lower levels of selenium in it. In fact, when EU put a levy on wheat import from the United States many years ago, the European selenium status dropped as a result of shifting from American to European wheat with a lower selenium content.

Important for the body

It is vital for humans to get adequate amounts of selenium. Researchers have identified at least 25-30 different selenium-dependent proteins (selenoproteins) that require the presence of selenium in order to function properly. Some of these selenoproteins control the body's defense against virus, bacteria, infections and, apparently, certain forms of cancer.