One of selenium’s most important roles is to help maintain a normal immune defense. Ironically, most of us do not spend much time thinking about how important our immune system is, but we should. It works around the clock to keep us healthy and if it does not get the nutrients it needs to perform properly, we risk that it cannot undertake its vital tasks.
Our immune system is a very clever defense mechanism that is ready at all times to ward off intruding bacteria, virus or pathogens that enter the body by means of air, food or direct contact. The more effectively the immune system can activate its different key players, namely white blood cells, T-lymphocytes etc., the more likely you are to avoid contracting infections and disease.
Just like when we can have an underactive or overactive thyroid gland, the immune system can also be too weak or go into “overdrive”, causing so-called autoimmune reactions. Technically speaking, autoimmunity is when the immune system targets healthy cells and tissues because it gets confused. Various skin disorders like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis are examples of autoimmune reactions.