Selenium Helps to Improve Prostate Cancer Marker

Selenium, an important anti-oxidant mineral, has been suggested by certain previous studies to influence the risk of prostate cancer.  Robert A. DiSilvestro, from Ohio State University (Ohio, USA), and colleagues enrolled 30 healthy middle-aged men , each of whom took a daily dietary supplement of 200 micrograms of selenium (as selenium glycinate), for a six-week period.  The researchers found that the activities of two blood selenium enzymes (erythrocyte and plasma GPx) rose, while the plasma prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a marker of prostate cancer risk, declined.  Noting that daily selenium intake in US adult men is reported to be around 153 micrograms, the team submits that: “this study suggests that US middle-aged men may not typically consume optimal amounts of selenium.”