Selenium News and Research

Latest Selenium News and Research

Mice study provides insight into the beneficial effects of selenium supplementation

Adding the nutrient selenium to diets protects against obesity and provides metabolic benefits to mice, according to a study published today in eLife.

30 Mar 2021

Study targets main protease of SARS-CoV-2 involved in viral replication

The main protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an enzyme implicated in the transcription and replication of the coronavirus. New research led by S. Samar Hasnain from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom used the selenium-containing drug Ebselen to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro).

14 Mar 2021

Study identifies another reason to add mushrooms to American diet

The second study published in as many months has identified another reason to add more mushrooms to the recommended American diet.

24 Feb 2021

Adding mushrooms to diet increases the intake of micronutrients

Researchers have identified another good reason to eat more mushrooms. New research , published in Food Science & Nutrition (January 2021) found that adding a mushroom serving to the diet increased the intake of several micronutrients, including shortfall nutrients such as vitamin D, without any increase in calories, sodium or fat.

1 Feb 2021

Healthy diet plays vital role in warding off COVID-19

A researcher at the School of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, explored nutrition's role in boosting the immune system to combat COVID-19 infection.

29 Nov 2020

Immunonutrition may improve COVID-19 patients' recovery

Researchers duo Emma Derbyshire and Joanne Delange from the Nutritional Insight, Surrey, United Kingdom, explore the role of immunonutrition – nutrition that boosts or influences the immune system for those over 65 years of age in COVID-19. Their study titled, “COVID-19: is there a role for immunonutrition, particularly in the over 65s?,” was released in the latest issue of the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health.

26 Nov 2020

FDA expands approved indication for influenza treatment to include post-exposure prevention

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the approved indication for Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) to include post-exposure prevention of influenza (flu) for patients 12 years of age and older after contact with an individual who has the flu.

23 Nov 2020

Readers and tweeters shed light on vaccine trials and bias in health care

In the piece about the AstraZeneca vaccine trial subject who suffered severe spinal cord inflammation, that person was repeatedly referred to as a "patient" ("NIH 'Very Concerned' About Serious Side Effect in Coronavirus Vaccine Trial," Sept. 14).

28 Oct 2020

Nutritional status may impact susceptibility to COVID-19, study says

Now, a team of researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford wanted to provide a systematic review of the latest evidence on how malnutrition across all forms, including undernutrition, obesity, and micronutrient status, may influence the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19.

22 Oct 2020

Nanoparticle SARS-CoV-2 model could potentially speed the search for drugs

A team of scientists from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., has developed a new tool that mimics how SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- infects a cell, information that could potentially speed the search for treatments against the disease.

22 Sep 2020

Scientists find promising drug candidates for treatment of motor neurone disease

Scientists have taken a significant step forward in the search to find effective new drug candidates for the treatment of motor neurone disease.

1 Sep 2020

Study examines the effect of low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet on older adults

A new study, published in Nutrition and Metabolism, from researchers with the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Nutrition Obesity Research Center observed improvements in body composition, fat distribution and metabolic health in response to an eight-week, very low-carbohydrate diet.

20 Aug 2020

Multivitamin, mineral supplements may bolster the immune system of older adults

Older adults who took a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement with zinc and high amounts of vitamin C in a 12-week study experienced sickness for shorter periods and with less severe symptoms than counterparts in a control group receiving a placebo.

18 Aug 2020

High concentrations of toxic pollutants were detected in stranded whales, dolphins

A study led by researchers at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute examined toxins in tissue concentrations and pathology data from 83 stranded dolphins and whales along the southeastern coast of the United States from 2012 to 2018.

7 Aug 2020

Study shows link between selenium-deficient diet and paracetamol toxicity

A lack of the mineral selenium in the diet puts people at risk of paracetamol overdose, even when the painkiller is taken at levels claimed to be safe on the packaging, according to collaborative research emerging from the University of Bath and Southwest University in China.

5 Aug 2020

Study shows selenium-containing compounds inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication and assembly

A recent paper by researchers from the Netherlands and Poland provides evidence that modified ebselen derivatives may serve as highly promising prospective drugs against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The manuscript is freely available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2020

Antidepressants can potentially prevent depression in people at high risk

Antidepressants are well established for use in the treatment of depression, but new research by Keele University has shown that they can potentially prevent the condition in people who are at high risk of developing depressive illness.

29 Apr 2020

Researchers identify link between COVID-19 cure rate and regional selenium status

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.

29 Apr 2020

How to boost your immune system to fight coronavirus

As the world struggles with the coronavirus pandemic, more and more people are trying to protect themselves against the virus by all means possible. There are currently no vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), so boosting the immune system by way of diet, regular exercise, and sleep are sensible measures.

31 Mar 2020

Study: Antioxidant supplements do not improve semen quality among men with infertility

Antioxidant supplements do not improve semen quality among men with infertility, according to a new study supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health.

28 Feb 2020