[TruthTalk] NEWtrition & YOU

[Chris Barr]

NEWtrition & YOU Taking the spin off from today's health news ...   3/22/04   Two different stories in today's news headlines approach breast cancer from two different angles.   One heralds a complex computer program to evaluate a woman's individual risk of developing breast cancer.   The other notes a concern that a popular breast cancer drug is not being used as much as it should be to prevent cancer.   Yet one UNheralded item covers the ground of both of the above.  This was first noted almost 30 years ago.   It has been noted that the higher the level of the mineral element selenium there is in the blood then the less likely a woman is to develop breast cancer.   There are known levels of selenium in the blood for which there is much less breast cancer that occurs.  These levels can be tested for and supplementary selenium provided in order to increase selenium levels to desired levels.   The maximum level of selenium to be used according to common protocols is 200 micrograms daily.  Yet 200 micrograms daily is indicated as a minimum level according to Dr. Gerhard Schrauzer, professor emeritus of chemistry at University of California, San Diego.  Dr. Schrauzer has studied selenium extensively for more than 30 years.  He has also chaired more than one world conference on selenium.   More than 500 micrograms daily is commonly consumed in Japanese diets.  Japanese women are among those with the lowest levels of breast cancer.   Yet the U.S. government seems bent on discouraging selenium intake.   Last week a government warning against tuna consumption was issued especially for women.  Tuna is one of the highest sources for selenium.  The reason given for the warning was a concern about mercury levels in these fish.  Yet selenium also protects specifically against harmful effects of mercury.   One other thing about selenium ... supplementing with selenium only costs a fraction of the cost of the drug touted in today's news.   Checking the selenium level in the blood is one of the most reliable means to evaluate a woman's individual risk of developing breast cancer.  Also, consumption of 200 micrograms of selenium daily is a safe, effective and inexpensive means to prevent breast cancer.  It would cost less than a dollar a day for that level of selenium supplementation.   a public health news service from Chris Barr ... a servant of YHVH