interesting article on role of nutrition and metabolic syndrome--

[Guest guest]

November 24, 2008

Fish-Borne Mineral May Deter Metabolic Syndrome

Selenium

may reduce risk of syndrome linked to heart disease and diabetes;

Animal study affirms mineral’s ability to block mercury impacts

by Craig Weatherby

Selenium is a metallic mineral that forms a critical part of the body’s internal

antioxidant network.

 

This is because selenium is an essential component of an antioxidant enzyme

called glutathione peroxidase

 

As

such selenium is needed to control the oxidizing free radicals

generated by normal metabolism and by pollutants and starchy, sugary

foods.

 

Free

radicals promote inflammation, so selenium is also needed to control

this silent driving force behind heart disease, dementia, cancer, and

diabetes.

 

Key Points

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is linked to heart disease and diabetes.

Clinical study links higher selenium levels to lower risk of metabolic syndrome

(MetS).

Seafood is the richest source of selenium and of omega-3s, which are also linked

to reduced risk of MetS.

The new findings affirm the unique anti-MetS potential of fish and shellfish

According

the U.S. National Institutes of Health, rates of death from major

cancers is lower among people with higher blood levels or intake of

selenium (NIH 2008).

 

The

U.S. NIH makes this salient point about selenium and heart disease: “…

it is the oxidized form of low-density lipoproteins (LDL, often called

‘bad’ cholesterol) that promotes plaque build-up in coronary arteries.

Selenium is one of a group of antioxidants that may help limit the

oxidation of LDL cholesterol and thereby help to prevent coronary

artery disease.” (NIH 2008)

 

Given its role as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, it is not very

surprising that a new study from Spain finds a link between higher selenium

levels and reduced risk of metabolic syndrome.

 

Metabolic syndrome: The body’s own “cluster bomb”

According to the American Heart Association, more than 50 million Americans have

metabolic syndrome (MetS).

 

This

cluster of physiological characteristics is linked to increased risk of

developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

 

MetS is defined as having three or more of a half-dozen metabolic risk factors:

 

Abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen).

High blood triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol: a state

that fosters plaque buildups in artery walls.

Elevated blood pressure.

Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly use insulin

or blood sugar).

Pro-thrombotic state that promotes dangerous clots (e.g., high fibrinogen or

plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 in the blood).

Selenium in Vital Choice seafood

The adult RDA ranges from 55 to 70 micrograms (mcg), and the Upper Intake Level

is 400 mcg per day (NIH 2008).

Micrograms selenium per 100 gm (3 oz)

 

Canned Albacore Tuna

60.1

Sardines

52.7

Mackerel (Atlantic)

51.6

Sablefish

46.8

King (Chinook) Salmon

46.8

Halibut

46.8

King Crab

40

Shrimp

39.6

Silver (Coho) Salmon

38

Sockeye (Red ) Salmon

37.8

Scallops

27.9

 

Source: USDA Agricultural Research Service Nutrient Data Laboratory

Pro-inflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the blood).

The

syndrome is very real and is largely responsible for the epidemic of

cardiovascular disease and diabetes that’s exploding throughout the

developed and developing worlds.

 

We’ve

reported research that points to dietary patterns and food factors that

appear to promote or deter MetS; to learn more, simply search our newsletter

archive for “metabolic”.

And encouraging new research from a Spanish scientific team suggests that

selenium may help prevent MetS.

Selenium may ease onset of metabolic syndrome

Researchers

from Spain’s University of Navarra found that people’s selenium levels

appear to regulate their body levels of a marker for increased risk of

metabolic syndrome, called serum complement factor 3 (C3).

 

For their study, the Spanish team recruited 100 healthy young adults (average

age of 21).

 

They

recorded the subjects’ lifestyle patterns and blood pressure, and took

finger nail samples to measure selenium levels (Puchau B et al. 2008).

 

The

researchers found that higher C3 levels were linked to several key

components of MetS, including body mass index (BMI), waist

circumference, blood glucose levels, and blood triglyceride levels.

 

Their key finding was that higher selenium levels were associated with lower C3

levels.

 

As

they wrote, “These findings suggest a possible role for selenium intake

in the modulation of C3, [which] may be an early marker of metabolic

syndrome ...”

 

Seafood is uniquely rich in selenium

Most people accumulate sufficient selenium from the small amounts in grains and

most other plant foods.

Brazil

nuts are the richest food source of selenium, but their selenium

content varies widey, and eating too many can produce unsafe body

levels.

 

Otherwise, animal foods are the richest sources, but seafood averages twice as

much selenium as beef or chicken (NIH 2008).

 

And, unlike standard meats from factory farmed livestock, wild seafood is rich

in omega-3s and low in omega-6s.

 

Together

with an abundance of selenium, their desirable fat profiles make wild

fish and shellfish much better choices than meats for discouraging

development of MetS.

 

Better

yet, selenium appears to blunt the health impact of mercury very

substantially. This evidence-based hypothesis was affirmed by an animal

study published last year in which selenium protected young rats from

the ill effects of high mercury intake (Ralston NV et al. 2007).

 

Selenium's

mercury-binding property may explain why the best-designed study of the

effects of eating copious amounts of ocean fish found no adverse health

effects in children. (See “Mercury-Fighting Mineral in Fish Overlooked in Heated

Debate” and “Fight Over Mercury Risks Muddied by Bad Science”.)

 

The U.S.

recommended daily allowance for selenium ranges from 55 to 70

micrograms (mcg) for people aged 14 or older, while the recommended

Upper Intake Level is 400 mcg per day (NIH 2008).

  

So

when you think of foods that deliver potent antioxidants, don’t forget

fish. Without ample selenium, your body’s antioxidant defenses will be

hobbled, leaving you open to silent, gradual harm.

 

Sources

Choi

AL, Budtz-Jørgensen E, Jørgensen PJ, Steuerwald U, Debes F, Weihe P,

Grandjean P. Selenium as a potential protective factor against mercury

developmental neurotoxicity. Environ Res. 2008 May;107(1):45-52. Epub

2007 Sep 12.

Office

of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dietary

Supplement Fact Sheet: Selenium. Accessed on line Noember 23, 2008 at

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp

Puchau

B, Zulet MA, González de Echávarri A, Navarro-Blasco I, Martínez JA.

Selenium intake reduces serum C3, an early marker of metabolic syndrome

manifestations, in healthy young adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008 Nov 5.

[Epub ahead of print]

Ralston NV,

Blackwell JL 3rd, LJ. Importance of molar ratios in

selenium-dependent protection against methylmercury toxicity. Biol

Trace Elem Res. 2007 Dec;119(3):255-68.

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Vital Choice Seafood

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