Low maternal selenium may have consequences for mother's heart health in later life: Cypress Systems

18 Jun 2018 --- By increasing their risk of preeclampsia, mothers with low selenium levels may also be at increased risk for heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure later in life, a Cypress Systems executive summary suggests. The summary calls for higher levels of supplementation of high selenium yeast to combat heart health threats.

“The emerging research is focused on the first 1000 days of life, that being the nine months of prenatal fetal development and the first two years of infant growth. Beyond the pre-and post-natal supplementation, we believe this new research shows or identifies those women that – because of the preeclampsia they experience during pregnancy – may be predisposed to greater health issues later in life,” Paul Willis, CEO and President of Cypress Systems tells NutritionInsight.

“In one sense, this health issue brought about by childbirth may actually be a blessing in disguise in that it provides the mother a much needed ‘heads up’ so that she can actually be doing something now, considering high selenium yeast, to positively reduce her increased risk of cardiovascular disease later on in life.”

According to Willis, the risk of heart health risks later in life from preeclampsia is not widely known. However, according to The Preeclampsia Foundation, preeclampsia doubles the mother’s risk of stroke and heart disease and quadruples her risk of high blood pressure later in life. The foundation also states that two out of three women who experience preeclampsia will eventually die from cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, up to 36 percent of preeclampsia cases may be due to low selenium levels. 

“Pregnancy is a dynamic process characterized by an apparent increase in maternal transfer of selenium to the fetus especially during the last trimester,” explains Willis. “Without supplementation, blood levels of selenium progressively decline during pregnancy and lactation. Current evidence suggests that food-form high selenium yeast, such as SelenoExcell, is retained longer in the body than the inorganic forms.” Therefore, there is a serious white space for the dietary supplement industry regarding this issue, he adds.

High Selenium yeast supplement
“Based on the research focused on the first 1000 days, the mother should consider high selenium yeast supplementation through lactation at the very minimum. Due to the advanced growth rates of the infant and the infant’s natural depletion of selenium, the mother should maintain selenium supplementation through lactation. Beyond lactation, it all depends on how deficient the mother is in selenium and her specific risk of ongoing cardiovascular and hypertension problems,” says Willis.

“Quite a few studies are demonstrating that selenium deficiency is associated with increased risk for heart disease, cancer and even overall mortality and that supplementation can reduce such a risk.  In fact, one such study found that by supplementing with SelenoExcell high selenium yeast, the risk for dying from cancer was reduced by 50 percent.”

Folic acid/folate is very well known as a vital pre-natal supplement and according to Willis, selenium could become as widely regarded as just as important. “This is not to diminish the very significant role folic acid fortification and supplementation has had on reducing the risk of neural tube defects (NTD) by an impressive 70 percent. Although more research is needed, a deficiency of selenium has also been associated with an increased risk of NTD and since there are still 2500 babies born with NTD each year in the US, we should be doing everything we can to diminish this number even further.” 

“We have almost 400,000 preterm births annually here in the US, along with 135,000 women experiencing preeclampsia annually and both of these conditions are associated with low selenium levels, not to mention, being associated with negative long-term health effects for both the child and the mother,” says Willis.

Regarding applications forms, Willis adds that SelonoExcell high selenium yeast can be used to fortify foods in the same way that folate can. He adds that organically bound high selenium yeast is 1.5 to 2 times more bioavailable than the inorganic form, meaning it is retained longer in the body.

NutritionInsight has released a special report investigating the importance of prenatal nutrition, with folate being the primary focus. This report also drew attention to the increasing knowledge building around selenium, and its potential importance for the dietary supplement industry. 

By Laxmi Haigh