Getting adequate selenium in your diet or from your multivitamin could help you and everyone around you stay healthier this cold-and-flu season. In lab studies, researchers at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill found that when viruses pass through bodies deficient in selenium they can mutate into more damaging forms (The FASEB Journal, published online, Apr 27, 2001). "It's always been known that when people are not well nourished, they tend to get sick," says coauthor Melinda A. Beck, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and nutrition at the university's school of medicine and public health. "But these results indicate that nutritional deficiencies can help transform a virus into something more dangerous, something that can then infect even those with a healthy diet." Earlier studies have shown that the same danger accompanies a vitamin E deficiency, Dr. Beck notes.

Your best bet to beat cold-and-flu season? Eat a balanced diet (seafood and whole grains are good sources of selenium), and take a multivitamin containing up to the Daily Value for selenium (70 micrograms) and vitamin E (30 IU), Dr. Beck recommends. There's no need to take mega-doses.

Source www.prevention.com