New German study links COVID-19 mortality risk to low selenium levels

[Mark Crispin Miller]

https://mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2098/htm… A new study from Germany identifies a higher COVID mortality risk for those with low selenium levels.

 

 5. Conclusions

 

COVID-19 constitutes a universal threat to human health, necessitating fast, promising, and safe measures for reducing infection risk, suppressing virulence development, strengthening the immune system, and supporting recovery. The essential trace element Se may be most relevant for these issues. Subjects residing in areas with poor baseline Se supply or on restricted nutrition, and COVID patients with pre-existing comorbidities or long disease course are at particularly elevated risk for severe Se deficiency, and may profit from improving the Se supply by dietary or supplemental measures. The observed association of mortality risk with Se deficit and the likely underlying feed-forward mechanism argues for initiating intervention studies under the highest quality standards, in order not to miss a universally available, inexpensive, and safe preventive measure and adjuvant treatment option.