Link identified between dietary selenium and outcome of COVID-19 disease
Date:
April 29, 2020
Source:
University of Surrey
Summary:
Researchers have identified a link between the COVID-19 cure rate and regional selenium status in China.
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An international team of researchers, led by Professor Margaret Rayman at the University of Surrey, has identified a link between the COVID-19 cure rate and regional selenium status in China.
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Publishing their findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers using data (up to 18 February), investigated possible links between selenium levels in the body and cure or death rates of those with the COVID-19 virus in China.
Selenium is an essential trace element obtained from the diet (i.e. fish, meat and cereals) which has been found to affect the severity of a number of viral diseases in animals and humans. For example selenium status in those with HIV has been shown to be an important factor in the progression of the virus to AIDs and death from the condition. China is known to have populations that have both the lowest and highest selenium status in the world, due to geographical differences in the soil which affects how much of the trace element gets into the food chain.
Margaret Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Medicine at the University of Surrey, said: "Given the history of viral infections associated with selenium deficiency, we wondered whether the appearance of COVID-19 in China could possibly be linked to the belt of selenium deficiency that runs from the north-east to the south-west of the country."
Examining data from provinces and municipalities with more than 200 cases and cities with more than 40 cases, researchers found that areas with high levels of selenium were more likely to recover from the virus. For example, in the city of Enshi in Hubei Province, which has the highest selenium intake in China, the cure rate (percentage of COVID-19 patients declared 'cured') was almost three-times higher than the average for all the other cities in Hubei Province. By contrast, in Heilongjiang Province, where selenium intake is among the lowest in the world, the death rate from COVID-19 was almost five-times as high as the average of all the other provinces outside of Hubei.
Most convincingly, the researchers found that the COVID-19 cure rate was significantly associated with selenium status, as measured by the amount of selenium in hair, in 17 cities outside of Hubei.
Kate Bennett, a medical statistician at the University of Surrey, said; "There is a significant link between selenium status and COVID-19 cure rate, however it is important not to overstate this finding; we have not been able to work with individual level data and have not been able to take account of other possible factors such as age and underlying disease."
Ramy Saad, a doctor at Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, currently taking an MSc degree in Nutritional Medicine at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Surrey, commented; "The correlation we have identified is compelling, particularly given previous research on selenium and infectious diseases. As such, a careful and thorough assessment of the role selenium may play in COVID-19 is certainly justified and may help to guide ongoing public-health decisions."
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Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Surrey. Original written by Natasha Meredith. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Margaret P Rayman, Ramy Saad, Kate Bennett, Ethan Will Taylor, Jinsong Zhang. Association between regional selenium status and reported outcome of COVID-19 cases in China. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2020; DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa095
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University of Surrey. "Link identified between dietary selenium and outcome of COVID-19 disease." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 April 2020. <sciencedaily.com/releases/2....
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Interesting things are happening in other countries as they are trying out of the (FDA) box treatments and preventive strategies.
In India, Mumbai Police (50000+ force)has been directed by public health dept. to take a old homeopathic medicine called ARSENIC ALBUM..for prevention of coronavirus infection.
This age old remedy..initially discovered in Germany is supposed to stimulate Cell Mediated immunity causing significant rise in T-Lymphocytes.
In BanglaDesh, a group of doctors are treating Covid 19 patients with a dog heartworm medicine called INVECTIN along with antibiotic Doxycycline. Covid19 patients are claimed to recover within 48 hours and do not need ventilators.
Thailands death death is very very low . Their doctors are using Hydroxychloroquin plus Zithromycin.
Besides, a concoction of boiled water with cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, holy basil etc with ionic zinc..is being prescribed by Ayurvedic doctors ..to boost immune system to prevent serious coronavirus infection.
I think these are good signs that clinical trials are being designed to test these out of (FDA) box treatments.
Hydroxychloroquin is a reasonably safe medicine...the cardiac side effects are rare and happens in in very old people with impaired cardiac functioning . Eye damage is equalyy rare.
Billions of people across the world take Hydroxychoroquin for malaria, lupus and arthritis ..every year .do you ever hear millions of people died of heart effect or went blind ?..No !
FDA and big pharma (in collusion) did a fake clinical trial with great sampling error. They choose people on ventilators and dying patients and hastily came with conclusion that Hydroxycholoroqun does not work. This was a heck job to stop a cheap drug and buy time to come up with a ten thousand dollar drug.
Hydroxychloroquin is for prevention of Covid19 and for treatment in early stage,Covid19.
Also, Hydroxychloroquin is a Good ZINC ionophore ...which means it forces ionized Zinc into cancer cells..causing bursting of Lysosomes..leading to apoptosis (death) of Cancer cells.
Landmark research by University of Maryland doctor, Dr Leslie Castello 's research is worth reading about this.
If the selenium association holds up, Britain should have a higher death rate than the US & Canada. North Americans typically have good levels due to the wheat content. When the UK joined the Common Market, it had to forgo Canadian wheat & use poor-selenium European wheat.
Selenium is a mineral where there is no advantage supplementing if the diet is adequate. Which is why the expensive SELECT study was such a fiasco. IMO
So I would caution bread-eating Americans to avoid mega-supplements, but encourage Europeans to address insufficiency.
Probably good to have adequate selenium from dietary sources, so as to never be deficient, but I believe while it was originally thought supplementing might have been beneficial in preventing PC, those already with PC may find it now is contraindicated to mega-dose or eat too many foods with high levels (brazil nuts?).
I wonder, how many things that help PREVENT cancer are no longer helpful, at least in larger doses, once you already HAVE cancer? Is there a good single source for theories/evidence on this? Seems like there is widespread confusion over what might be "anti-cancer" or "pro-cancer" when thinking in terms of preventtion at younger ages and treatment at older ages.
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COVID-19, FEMA - funeral expenses.
Hmm... AJ's Covid-19 self defense garb...
Salvage Radiation Delay due to COVID 19
Yes, we are more at risk from Covid-19.
