Milking selenium

It has long been known that selenium has anti-cancer properties. The anti-cancer impact of selenium is achieved by the way it encourages the body to slough off mutated cells that might become cancerous. Now, doctors and researchers believe there could be a more efficient way of delivering that trace element to the body. And that could involve a cow.

A team led by Graeme young of Flinders University is testing the efficiency of selenium delivered through cow’s milk especially as regards the prevention of colon cancer. They want to know if milk is a better carrier than other types of delivery systems like chemical and yeast based forms which are common in over the counter preparations.

“So those forms of selenium will differ in their capacity to change someone’s antioxidant status and capacity to prevent cancer,” Young explained. “We are comparing the milk form of selenium with a yeast-form of selenium in this human study and looking to see how readily the selenium gets into the body. We are also taking biopsies from the lining of the bowel to make certain that the selenium is being delivered to he cells lining the bowel. If we can establish that is occurring, then we will be more confident that selenium is going to regulate the cells lining the bowels in humans.”

Prior research by this team showed that selenium in cow’s milk produced a significant cancer preventing effect in mice.

Source: The Nation