Selenium in the Prevention of Bladder Cancer in Women

For adults who are at-risk for development specific forms of cancer, there are lifestyle choices which may reduce that risk. As part of these lifestyle choices, which traditionally follow diet and exercise programs, many adults who are at-risk for cancer find the use of specific dietary supplements are also quite effective.

Much focus has been made upon the effects of selenium and the reduction of specific forms of cancer, especially that involving prostate cancer in men. However, for women, the use of selenium may also provide some degree of reduced cancer risk, especially that involving bladder cancer. With almost one-half of a million cases of bladder cancer reported worldwide, bladder cancer has become one of the top ten cancers among both sexes. With a survival rate of less than five years, many women are eagerly searching for ways to reduce the risk for such health complications.

While there are many underlying causes for the development of bladder cancer in women, lifestyle choice seems to be a leading factor. Therefore, in women with a history of tobacco use, smoking, exposure to recurrent urinary tract infections, or exposure to specific environmental toxins, there is a need to use dietary supplements to promote improved urological health and reduce the bladder cancer risk.

Selenium may be the trace element needed by women. Consuming selenium naturally is the optimal method for protection with breads, cereals, meat, poultry, and fish providing great sources of selenium. While there has been a long term focus upon the use of selenium in reducing the risk for colon, prostate and even lung cancer, women with a risk for bladder cancer, especially those with a history of smoking, should considering increasing selenium use.

Even without the proper diet, and a history of smoking, women who utilize a selenium supplement daily will realize an inverse relationship in their use of selenium to their risk of developing bladder cancer. This is not to say, however, that women already diagnosed with bladder cancer will realize the same benefit.