Selenium Status and Strength against Viruses

Immunity

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The mineral selenium is incredibly important to keeping healthy, especially in resisting viral infections.

Being low in selenium allows viruses to shift into stronger mutations, and weakens an individual’s immune system to respond to those mutations. In the past, selenium has been studied for ability to moderate allergies, reduce asthmatic reactions, assist vaccines, and stop other diseases.

This clinical study found that selenium status could determine susceptibility to Covid-19; the lower the levels of selenium, the higher the risk. Researchers concluded that supplementation with this commonly available mineral may provide an additional weapon in the fight against Covid-19 as it has for other viruses and diseases in the past.

Abstract:

Majeed M, Nagabhushanam K, Gowda S, Mundkur L An Exploratory Study of Selenium Status in Normal Subjects and COVID-19 Patients in South Indian population: Case for Adequate Selenium Status: Selenium Status in COVID-19 Patients. Nutrition 2020, 111053, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2020.111053.

The pandemic of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected millions of individuals, causing major health and economic disruption worldwide. Although the numbers of infections are declining in some parts of the World, new infections are steadily rising in India. Nutrition and immune status are two critical aspects of fighting the virus successfully. Recently, the selenium status was reported to positively correlate with the survival of COVID patients as compared with non-survivors. We analysed the blood serum levels in apparently healthy (N=30) individuals and those with confirmed COVID -19 infection (N=30) in the southern part of India. Patients showed a significantly lower selenium level of 69.2 ±8.7 ng/ml than controls 79.1 ± 10.9 ng/ml, the difference was statistically significant (P=0.0003). Interestingly the controls showed a borderline level of selenium, suggesting that the level of this micronutrient is not optimum in the population studied. The results of this exploratory study pave the way for further research in a larger population and suggest that selenium supplementation may be helpful to reduce the impact of the virus.

Here is the link to the article: An Exploratory Study of Selenium Status in Normal Subjects and COVID-19 Patients in South Indian population: Case for Adequate Selenium Status: Selenium Status in COVID-19 Patients