As far as I know, selenocysteine is the only reason you need selenium in your diet (which you almost certainly get enough of; the requirement is vanishingly small,
It is the nucleophilicity that is so important; it is found in the amino acid selenocysteine - that is, the selenium analogue of the sulfur amino acid cysteine (or the oxygen amino acid serine).
Selenocysteine plays a role in thioredoxin reductase, the reaction of which with curcumin may have chemotherapeutic applications.
- Log in to post comments
One of the methods for offsetting selenium toxicity is exposure to arsenic, however, exposure to selenium also offsets arsenic toxicity. I guess two wrongs do make a right.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3428469
Good timing on this post as FDA just yanked a dietary supplement with 200-400X the recommended selenium content. The website for the product (Total Body Formula) is down so I don't know what form of selenium was in the supplement.