Extending Life

Zinc, selenium, and CoQ10 support healthy aging

Zinc and selenium linked to anemia

Being low in iron is not the only cause of anemia. In this study, doctors measured zinc, selenium, and iron levels in 285 nursing home residents. Although fewer than 2 percent were low or deficient in iron, 31.6 percent had anemia.

Doctors discovered 71.9 percent of participants were deficient in zinc, and 38.3 percent were deficient in selenium. Those who were deficient in zinc were nearly five times as likely to have anemia as those with sufficient zinc. Those low in selenium were also more likely to have anemia, but low zinc was a much more important factor.

This is the first study to link zinc with hemoglobin—the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from, and carbon dioxide back to, the lungs—showing even when iron is not deficient, low levels of zinc increase chances for anemia.

Reference: Nutrients; 2021, Vol. 13, No. 4, 1072

Selenium, CoQ10 improve heart factors

When blood clots form and break down, the body produces higher levels of a protein called D-dimer. In this study, 213 participants with greater chances for heart and circulatory problems took a placebo or 200 mcg of selenium yeast plus 200 mg of CoQ10 per day.

While there were no differences in D-dimer levels between the groups at the beginning, after four years, those taking selenium plus CoQ10 had 22 mg of D-dimer per liter of blood (mg/L) compared to 34 mg/L for placebo. Among those with high D-dimer levels, those taking selenium plus CoQ10 were less likely to have died from heart or circulatory conditions.

Reference: Nutrients; 2021, Vol. 13, No. 4, 1344