STAY MOBILE FOR LIFE WITH A SINGLE DAILY MINERAL

by VRP Staff

Think you have to swap your afternoon hikes for a rocking chair just because you’re getting older? Well, think again. Your motor skills can take a hit as you age, but not if you take the right steps to keep your coordination sharp. And believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be difficult—in fact, the results of one recent study suggest that boosting your intake of just one trace mineral may help you to stay on your feet for life.

As part of this new trial, researchers set out to determine the association between selenium concentrations in the blood and changes in the brain’s striatonigral system—that is, the connecting point of the stratum and the substantia nigra, two parts of your brain that work in tandem to ensure your body’s proper movement and balance. The study included 1,012 adults, all of whom were ages 65 or older and enrolled in the InCHIANTI study—a project designed to gain insight into the mechanisms that negatively influence the aging population’s ability to walk and move.

The researchers evaluated each subject for plasma selenium levels, followed by a physical examination to assess for any neurological changes—and if the results are any indication, then this key mineral appears to be a pretty major player when it comes to motor skill maintenance.

The researchers’ data showed a strong connection between plasma selenium levels and timed coordination assessments—revealing that those older subjects with low selenium levels were more likely than their selenium-sufficient counterparts to see their motor performance suffer as they age. According to the study authors, this finding was more than enough to warrant additional prospective studies to investigate selenium’s role in movement and balance declines among the older population.1

Of course, there’s no reason to put off including selenium in your own daily supplement regimen. This trace mineral is also a vitally important antioxidant, which can help to guard your whole body (not just your brain) against damaging free radicals and oxidative stress—a benefit that offers a critical boost to immune and cellular health, too. To get the most out of your daily dose of selenium, look for it in the form of research-supported methylselenocysteine—available now in convenient capsules from Vitamin Research Products.

Reference:

1. Shahar A, Patel KV, Semba RD, Bandinelli S, Shahar DR, Ferrucci L, Guralnik JM. Plasma selenium is positively related to performance in neurological tasks assessing coordination and motor speed. Mov Disord. 2010 Sep 15;25(12):1909-15.