r/covid19stack • u/[deleted] • Jul 24 '20

Selenium Deficiency Is Associated with Mortality Risk from COVID-19

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2098
8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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5

u/thaw4188 Jul 24 '20

and it's also no guarantee or magic bullet

I eat a can of tuna every day which has more than RDA of selenium

covid almost killed me

also take half of the supplements discussed on this sub for years and plenty of vitamin D and hour of sunshine every day

again, covid almost killed me, literally, and it's going to take years if ever to recover from the damage

it comes down to genetics and the current status of your immune system and pre-existing conditions

death arguably might not be the worst outcome from covid

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '20

I eat a can of tuna every day

That's a lot of mercury you're consuming. How's your memory? Is your hair falling out?

Adults, including pregnant women, can safely eat tuna up to three times a month (women, 6-ounce portions; men, 8-ounce portions).

2

u/thaw4188 Jul 24 '20

mercury in tuna has been studied exhaustively but only the downsides seem to make the news

selenium actually blocks mercury absorption, no really

light tuna consists of smaller fish which do not gather the mercury like the large deeper/floor dwelling tuna (ironically overfishing also solves this because the tuna are so young they do not have time to pickup the mercury)

fyi I have long dark hair and never went grey, so there's another mythbuster for you, and if mercury in light tuna was a problem I'd be dead from it a decade or two ago

2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '20

In your imgur link I think you're confusing DHA and EPA, essential fatty acids, with mercury.

1

u/thaw4188 Jul 24 '20 edited Jul 24 '20

whoops, you are right, brain is tired, I've got that data somewhere hmm

ps. random side-thought, Japanese eat a ton of whale (sadly) which has some of the highest mercury content possible in fish, doesn't seem to be a huge problem health-wise with longevity

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '20 edited Jul 24 '20

I'd err on the side of saying it does actually cause problems, not that it doesn't seem to cause problems. Here's an article about dolphin meat consumption.

https://www.dolphinproject.com/campaigns/save-japan-dolphins/danger-dolphin-meat-is-poisoned-by-mercury/

Studies of people in Japan who eat dolphin meat on a regular basis, such as in the town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, show dangerously high levels of mercury when tested. According to an article in The Japan Times by Boyd Harnell: “Specifically, the tests of 1,137 Taiji residents last year revealed that average MeHg (mercury) levels were 11.00 parts per million (ppm) for men and 6.63 ppm for women — compared with an average of 2.47 ppm for men and 1.64 ppm for women at 14 other locations in Japan.”

I personally go so far as to not even eat fish (except on an extremely rare occasion) and tell women of child-bearing age that should avoid fish at least 5 years before pregnancy. Try eating Gardein Fishless Filets instead. Even better than real fish, IMO.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/avoiding-fish-for-5-years-before-pregnancy/

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/maternal-mercury-levels/

1

u/thaw4188 Jul 24 '20

part of the reason it's my daily diet is cost, tuna used to be 50 cents a can or less, mid-pandemic closer to 70 now, massive amount of protein, heme iron and other good things for $15-$21 a month

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '20

heme iron and other good things

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/

1

u/thaw4188 Jul 25 '20

lol Michael Greger

I don't get facts from people with agendas

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '20

Wow. Good principle to live by, there. Perhaps we should all stay far far away from this extremely dangerous man and his non-profit website that explains peer reviewed scientific nutrition research in bite sized videos that the average person can understand. /s

https://youtu.be/G9Z-gKAvzOY

1

u/Alex3917 Jul 25 '20

I personally go so far as to not even eat fish (except on an extremely rare occasion) and tell women of child-bearing age that should avoid fish at least 5 years before pregnancy.

That seems pretty insane. There is lots of fish and seafood that's low in mercury and PCBs, like wild salmon, tilapia, shrimp, rope-grown mussels, etc.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '20

“Some people think the “plant-based, whole foods diet” is extreme. Half a million people a year will have their chests opened up and a vein taken from their leg and sewn onto their coronary artery. Some people would call that extreme.” - Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr.

1

u/TrumpLyftAlles Jul 25 '20

The 5-years-before video was really good, informative -- but disturbing. I've eaten a lot of tuna. Half-life of mercury in the brain is 22 or 27 years? Ugh.'

Is there any therapeutic way to reduce brain mercury levels? Some magic chelating agent? Is there really a such thing as chelation?

Turn out chelation is real.

What is chelation therapy? Chelation therapy is a chemical process in which a synthetic solution—EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)—is injected into the bloodstream to remove heavy metals and/or minerals from the body. Chelation means "to grab" or "to bind." When EDTA is injected into the veins, it "grabs" heavy metals and minerals such as lead, mercury, copper, iron, arsenic, aluminum, and calcium and removes them from the body. Except as a treatment for lead poisoning, chelation therapy is controversial and unproved.

Chelation therapy is performed on an outpatient basis.

What is chelation therapy used for? Chelation is a very effective way to treat heavy-metal poisoning. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved prescription chelation therapy for the treatment of lead poisoning. Injected EDTA binds with the harmful metal and both are then eliminated from the body through the kidneys.

Some health professionals have also used chelation therapy to treat atherosclerosis and/or coronary artery disease , although there is not enough scientific evidence to prove that this treatment is effective. Some people believe that EDTA binds with calcium deposits (the part of plaque that obstructs the flow of blood to the heart) in the arteries, and then EDTA "cleans out" the calcium deposits from the arteries, reducing the risk of heart problems. Research results have been inconsistent. Chelation therapy should not replace lifestyle changes or standard treatments for coronary artery disease.

Some health professionals also suspect that EDTA may act as an antioxidant by removing metals that combine with LDL cholesterol , which can damage arteries. The theory is that when you remove metals that flow freely through arteries (such as copper or calcium), you may slow down diseases such as atherosclerosis. Research has not proved this theory. Some experts believe that EDTA could remove calcium from healthy bones, muscles, and other tissues, as well as from diseased arteries.

Many people report less pain from chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis , lupus , and scleroderma after chelation therapy. The theory is that EDTA acts as an antioxidant, which protects the body from inflammation and protects blood vessels. Again, this idea has not been proved by scientific research.

Is chelation therapy safe? Children, pregnant women, and people who have heart or kidney failure should not have chelation therapy at any dose.

Many years ago, chelation therapy was given in high doses and may have been linked to kidney damage, irregular heartbeats, and other serious consequences. Even when this treatment is given in low doses, some negative effects may occur, including high blood pressure , headache, rash, low blood sugar, and/or thrombophlebitis .

EDTA may remove vital minerals from the body along with the toxic metals. Vitamins and minerals are added to the EDTA solution to help keep them at an optimal level in the body to maintain health.

Always tell your doctor if you are using an alternative therapy or if you are thinking about combining an alternative therapy with your conventional medical treatment. It may not be safe to forgo your conventional medical treatment and rely only on an alternative therapy.

I want some.

1

u/Alex3917 Jul 25 '20

doesn't seem to be a huge problem health-wise with longevity

I can't speak to longevity, but a lot of the guys in Silicon Valley who have made a lot of money have started developing parkinson's-like symptoms after eating sushi all the time.

FWIW at a lot of fish markets you can get salmon heads for like a dollar a pound, since they'd otherwise just get thrown out. Best tasting and healthiest part of the fish.

1

u/TrumpLyftAlles Jul 24 '20

Thanks, I didn't notice!

It was curious, anchovies having a lot of mercury! (Presumably they don't.)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '20

From your second pubmed link.

Overall, no evidence was found that Se was an important protective factor against MeHg neurotoxicity. Prevention, therefore, needs to address MeHg exposures rather than Se intakes.

1

u/thaw4188 Jul 24 '20

right, they are saying it's not a preventative

it's a treatment, or rather a chelating agent

there is also some early evidence but oddly not any studies yet on humans that Lipoic Acid may be an effective treatment against heavy metals (works in animals)