Selenium is a chemical element required in small amounts by most, and perhaps all, biological organisms. Selenium-containing antioxidant enzymes — such as the glutathione peroxidases (GPx) — help to rid the body of destructive peroxide and superoxide molecules. GPx enzymes are found in thyroid tissue and in many other parts of the body. Selenium deficiencies, and the resulting GPx shortages, therefore cause oxidative damage throughout the body.
Ailments that have been linked to low selenium levels include:
Selenium intake should be in the range of 55 to 400 mcg/day. This translates to 132 to 957 mcg/day of sodium selenate (about 1 to 5 capsules of LifeLink's product).
Zinc orotate is a mineral salt that is normally found in the body in small amounts. Each molecule of zinc orotate consists of two molecules of orotic acid and one zinc atom — the zinc atom replaces a pair of hydrogen atoms (one from each orotic acid molecule).
Zinc is an essential element required by all living things. Every organ and tissue in the body contains and requires zinc. It plays roles in development, tissue growth, and in all major bodily functions. Several thousand kinds of proteins in the body contain zinc — some of these proteins are enzymes that use zinc atoms to catalyze biochemical reactions, others have structural roles. ‘Zinc finger’ proteins regulate gene expression, and zinc atoms play a role in gene-directed cell death (‘apoptosis’) which is a major regulatory process in growth and development, and in cancer and other diseases. Zinc also affects the way cells signal each other — it has been found to influence hormone release and the transmission of information along nerves.
