Can Selenium Prevent COVID?

Selenium is an important nutrient for immunity. But there has been little discussion of selenium for COVID. Could selenium help? This meta-analysis looked at 11 studies.

The antioxidant mineral selenium is a crucial nutrient for immunity. What’s more, it is known to protect the respiratory system against viral infection. Selenium deficiency has been shown to increase susceptibility to lung problems from influenza and the overexpression of inflammatory cytokines.

So, could selenium help fight COVID?

A study in China found that there was a significantly greater risk of dying from COVID in regions with a deficiency of selenium in the soil (BMC Infect Dis. 2021;21(1):452). Several studies have shown that levels of selenium are lower in people who have COVID than in people who don’t. Several, but not all studies, have also suggested the possibility that selenium deficiency is associated with the severity of COVID.

A just published meta-analysis included 11 studies that looked at the relationship of selenium levels and COVID. It found that selenium levels in people with COVID are significantly lower than the selenium levels in healthy people. It did not detect a significant effect of selenium levels on the severity of COVID.

This study provides “compelling evidence” that getting adequate amounts of selenium helps prevent COVID.

J Nutr Sci. 2023;12:e86.

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