Super Selenium Complex, 200 mcg – 3 Forms of Selenium, Vitamin E – Cellular Health & Longevity Support – Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Vegetarian, 1 Daily – 100 Capsules

Selenium is important for human health. A deficiency causes problems; too much is also a concern. This review begins with a brief overview of information from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to put this into a larger context. 1) Most people get enough selenium from their diet. This has been confirmed through studies of intake from food and supplements (2009–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)) as well as studies of serum levels (NHANES data from 2003–2004). a. Foods that provide the most selenium are brazil nuts, seafoods, and organ meats. Additional sources are muscle meats, cereals , breads and other grains, dairy products, poultry and eggs. b. The amount of selenium in food will vary depending upon region and soil conditions. c. Some areas of China, some European countries, and New Zealand are known to have very low levels of selenium. d. Those following a mostly vegetarian or vegan diet, or avoiding wheat and/or other grains may need to supplement. 2) The RDA for selenium is thought to be enough to meet needs for 97-98% of healthy people. It ranges from 20 mcg at age 1 year up to 55 mcg for age 14+ years. It is higher for those who are pregnant (60 mcg) or breastfeeding (70 mcg). 3) Re: Cancer risk. According to the NIH, “Because of its effects on DNA repair, apoptosis, and the endocrine and immune systems as well as other mechanisms, including its antioxidant properties, selenium might play a role in the prevention of cancer….” Please note that having a possible role in prevention is not the same as treatment, and so selenium could be part of your prescribed treatment for cancer, but should not be considered as a substitute for treatment. Specific cancers that seem to be of higher risk when selenium status is low are: colorectal, prostate, lung, bladder, skin, esophageal, and gastric cancers. Please note that because the amount and forms of selenium that people get in their diet, as well as other reasons like interactions between selenium and other minerals, you can find studies that support this position, as well as studies that do not find that support. Selenium matters, and it is not ALL that matters. 4) Re: Cancer treatment. “Cisplatin, an inorganic platinum chemotherapy agent, is used to treat ovarian, bladder, lung, and other cancers. Cisplatin can reduce selenium levels in hair and serum but whether these reductions have a clinically significant impact is not known. Some small studies have shown that selenium supplementation can reduce cisplatin’s toxicity but the authors of a Cochrane review concluded that the evidence that selenium supplementation alleviates the side effects of chemotherapy is insufficient” (NIH). Ask your physician and/or pharmacist to keep updated on your personal recommendations for selenium supplementation. 5) Re: Cardiovascular (heart) disease. “Selenoproteins help prevent the oxidative modification of lipids, reducing inflammation and preventing platelets from aggregating. For these reasons, experts have suggested that selenium supplements could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or deaths associated with cardiovascular disease” (NIH). Too much selenium is also not OK, so for serious health concerns, have your physician check your selenium levels and take it from there. 6) Re: Cognitive decline. “Serum selenium concentrations decline with age. Marginal or deficient selenium concentrations might be associated with age-related declines in brain function, possibly due to decreases in selenium’s antioxidant activity” (NIH). It seems to be that overall nutritional status (including selenium, rather than selenium levels all by themselves) are associated with mental abilities over time. 7) Re: Thyroid. “Selenium concentration is higher in the thyroid gland than in any other organ in the body, and, like iodine, selenium has important functions in thyroid hormone synthesis and metabolism” (NIH). Selenium levels seem to interact with iodine levels to impact thyroid volume, risk of goiter, and risk of thyroid tissue damage. This seems particularly important for women and those who have thyroid issues and are pregnant. 8) Re: Dialysis. Hemodialysis removes some selenium from the blood. Patients might also have a lower intake from uremia with anorexia, and dietary restrictions. 9) Re: HIV. “Selenium levels are often low in people living with HIV, possibly because of inadequate intakes (especially in developing countries), excessive losses due to diarrhea, and malabsorption. Observational studies have found an association between lower selenium concentrations in people with HIV and an increased risk of cardiomyopathy, death, and, in pregnant women, HIV transmission to offspring and early death of offspring” (NIH). 10) Re: Absorption issues. As always, if you have some condition that affect your absorption of selenium, then it may be necessary to supplement. 11) It is possible to have TOO MUCH selenium. The upper limit of what is considered to be tolerable is 400 mcg for ages 14 years old and higher. Beyond that limit, indications of too much are a garlic odor in the breath, metallic taste in the mouth, hair and nail brittleness and loss, skin lesions, nervous system lesions, nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, mottled teeth, fatigue, and irritability. 12) You do not need to guess whether you have adequate selenium or not. Your doctor can order testing. Your physician can test concentrations in your blood or urine for your recent intake, or choose analysis of your hair or nails to check long-term intake (that means over months or years). A couple of examples of ways that your doctor might determine your status are tests for glutathione peroxidase and/or selenoprotein P. 13) When supplements are compared, the form of selenium is important. Common forms used in supplements are selenomethionine or selenium-enriched yeast (grown in a high-selenium medium) or as sodium selenite or sodium selenate. The human body absorbs more than 90% of selenomethionine but only about 50% of selenium from selenite. This can also explain why a person might have different results with different supplements. 14). This product has a combination of forms of selenium, so it may affect you differently than other selenium supplements. At a combined level of 200 mcg, it is unlikely that taking more than one capsule each day would be helpful, and it is possible that taking more than one could exceed recommended levels, even if you were directed to take a supplement. Be clear on what your doctor wants you to do! Remember that selenium and other supplements and increase, decrease, or otherwise change the effect of prescription medications. Bring your complete supplement list to your pharmacist to have it cross-checked with your prescriptions. There are also on-line drug interaction programs that check supplements, too. Those can help you to zero in on specific questions for your pharmacist and help to make sure that nothing is overlooked. This company does use 3rd party testing for purity and content, and labels products with their lot number and expiration date. That's important. Expect a clear seal on the outside, and an inner seal inside the cap. If you prefer to stick with a product that has only the L-selenomethionine form, then Source Naturals offers that, and it is also a reputable company. My doctor actually sells that one out of his office. It can be easier to check a single form against any prescriptions that you may take. Personally, I tend to switch off on which one I buy as I haven't developed a preference. All selenium supplements usually have a slight odor that might be more bothersome to women who are pregnant. I hope that this review is helpful to you in providing an overview of considerations for selenium supplementation, and how this product might fit in with your overall health plan. I did my best to point out known issues, and what you might want to be aware of to look into, further. It is important to be safe, and if you have read this far then your health is important to you, and it is great that you are doing your best to learn more! If this helped you in some way, then please click to let me know. Good health and happy shopping to you. Thanks!

I’m extremely happy with Life Extension Super Selenium Complex with Vitamin E. I appreciate that it contains multiple forms of selenium combined with vitamin E for better absorption and effectiveness. The capsules are easy to swallow and gentle on my stomach. I take this supplement to support my immune system, antioxidant protection, and overall wellness, and I truly trust the quality of this brand. Excellent product and great value—I will definitely continue purchasing.

I’ve been taking Life Extension’s Selenium Complex with Vitamin E for a little while now, and I’m pretty happy with it. I mainly started using it for the antioxidant support and overall immune health, and so far I feel good—more steady energy during the day and just generally healthier. It doesn’t upset my stomach like some supplements I’ve tried, which is a big plus. I think it’s a solid product if you’re looking to boost your selenium intake with the added bonus of vitamin E.

I only just received my order yesterday, so I can't yet say if they're going to help me, or not, but I just wanted to give my initial impression. These smell terrible! As soon as I removed the cotton from the bottle, I was taken aback. I have only used one pill thus far, and have been burping that smell/taste up for hours now. So gross. Just wanted to forewarn those of you that can't handle bad smelling, or tasting supplements because these are definitely up there, and I'm not even sensitive towards that sort of stuff. Difficult for me to choose a rating because like I said, I just received them, but I'm deducting one star, just simply because of the taste and smell. I'll come back to this review, if I find that the smell and taste is worth ignoring if these wind up being beneficial to my health. 4 stars overall. 1 star for flavor, lol. UPDATE: No longer taking, and will be throwing away. My entire kitchen cabinet smells like this stuff. This is definitely up there in my top 3 worst supplements. Right behind the "Aged Black Garlic" that I stupidly tried to take.

Excellent

Me ha funcionado muy bien. Lo elegí por su combinación con vitamina E y siento más energía y claridad mental. La presentación es práctica y el producto llegó en perfecto estado.

Es un excelente suplemento y de alta calidad

I take quite a few supplements. Recently read an article on Selenium, and research steered me toward this product. I won't lie - the smell is AWFUL!! Also found myself feeling nauseous couple hours after taking, so quit taking it for a couple of days - no nausea. Probably just me. But, will be looking for selenium under a different brand. I mean, I plugged my nose before opening the cap and during the swallowing process and STILL tasted it! YUK.