Benefit of Selenium in Brazil Nuts for Prostate Cancer, Hepatitis C, Cancer, and more.

These nuts are extremely nutrient-rich and contain protein, copper, niacin, magnesium, fiber, vitamin E and selenium. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that works to neutralize dangerous free radicals. A study at the University of Illinois even found that the high amounts of selenium in Brazil nuts may help prevent breast cancer.

Selenium is not only showing to be helpful for breast cancer, it is also critical for prostate health.

According to a study conducted at Harvard Medical School in Boston, one in four men has an inherited genetic vulnerability, which may be a factor in development of prostate cancer. When levels of certain antioxidants such as selenium, vitamin E, and lycopene are low, oxidative stress can lead to disease. An easy way of getting the necessary source of selenium needed to reduce the stress load leading to prostate cancer is to incorporate a small amount of brazil nuts every day. Two freshly hulled Brazil nuts each day provide the recommended daily requirement of 200 micrograms. If you purchase the nuts already shelled, consume 8-16 nuts to obtain the same benefit. An easy enough fete! Read more at Brazil Nuts and Prostate Health: Selenium-Packed Nuggets Protect Males Against Common Cancer

Additional health benefits of Selenium and Brazil Nuts can be found everywhere you look when researching the subject. For example, according to research published in the January 2007 Archives of Internal Medicine, daily selenium supplements appear to suppress the progression of the viral load in patients with HIV infection. According to Burt Berkson, MD, PhD on the subject of Hepatitis C "Selenium acts as a birth control for the virus".

Author of Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, has talked much about the health benefits of Brazil Nuts. Some examples of her comments are below:

"A vital antioxidant, selenium acts with vitamin E to protect the immune system and maintain healthy heart function. It is needed for pancreatic function and tissue elasticity and has been shown to protect against radiation and toxic minerals. High levels of heart disease are associated with selenium-deficient soil in Finland and a tendency to fibrotic heart lesions is associated with selenium deficiency in parts of China. Best sources are butter, Brazil nuts, seafood and grains grown in selenium-rich soil." (1)

In addition, Sally Fallon discusses the importance of specific nutrients for the relief of PMS and menstrual disorders here. She identifies Brazil nuts as a rich source of Calcium, important for PMS among other things.

Side Note:

"Improperly prepared nuts are very difficult to digest without depleting your store of digestive enzymes, making it difficult for you to gather any nutrients from the food you eat. Commercially available roasted nuts are most likely not soaked first which means they still have enzyme inhibitors. To make the awesome storehouse of nutrients in nuts available to you, you can soak and sprout them or follow this recipe."--Sally Fallon (1)

(1) Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Policitally Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD., Revised Second Edition, ©2001, pp-40-45, NewTrends Publishing (877) 707-1776,

Benefit of Selenium in Brazil Nuts for Prostate Cancer, Hepatitis C, Cancer, and more.