Selenium is a trace mineral that is essential to good health but required only in small amounts [1,2]. Selenium is incorporated into proteins to make selenoproteins, which are important antioxidant enzymes. The antioxidant properties of selenoproteins help prevent cellular damage from free radicals. Free radicals are natural by-products of oxygen metabolism that may contribute to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease [2,3]. Other selenoproteins help regulate thyroid function and play a role in the immune system [4-7].
What foods provide selenium?

Many major food manufacturers have been on a kick to jump on the "all natural" bandwagon, with all sorts of processed food products now claiming to be healthy and free of artificial and synthetic ingredients. However, one such company, Frito-Lay, is the subject of a new class action lawsuit that pegs the company for illegally marketing its snack products, which are loaded with genetically-modified (GM) ingredients, as being natural.

Talk about stirring up controversy. A new study shows that the urine of people who consume canned soup can contain surprisingly high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting compound linked to health problems including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

People who consumed one serving of canned soup a day for five days had a more than 1,000 percent increase in urinary BPA over people who consumed fresh soup for five days, the study showed.

If you drink diet soda you could have a much higher risk of vascular events compared to those who don't drink soda, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2011.

Coffee’s widely-reported potential anti-diabetes benefits may be related to the caffeine content of the beverage, claims a new study from Japan.

Scientists from Nagoya University report that coffee prevented the development of high-blood sugar in lab mice, as well as improving their sensitivity to insulin, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes.

“Our results indicated that caffeine is one of the most effective anti-diabetic compounds in coffee,” wrote the researchers in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

As flu season arrives and doctors, municipalities and drug stores all push flu shots.  In past years, potentially world-wide pandemics were forecast, with devastating consequences predicted. 

Here's who received money from Big Pharma and then influenced the WHO decision to declare the H1N1 swine flu a pandemic:

There’s nothing sweet about how much sugar  people consume every day. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the average adult in the United States takes in 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day, or a whopping 150 pounds a year, while teens pile in 34 teaspoons a day. That’s more than twice the amount of sugar we should be eating.

The Enviromental Protection Agency recently announced that it planned to regulate toxic substances in drinking water more strictly and would issue the first limits ever on perchlorate, a dangerous chemical found in rocket fuel that has seeped into groundwater in at least 400 locations.

The move, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, is a major step toward modernizing the nation’s clean water laws, which have lagged behind environmental and health science for decades.

We all know that Americans -- leading the way for the rest of the developed world -- are getting fatter. We hear about the "obesity epidemic" on the TV news, with footage of people depicted from the waist down shuffling around in XXL sweatpants and carrying supersized sodas. The majority of us are overweight, complaining about how our jeans are getting tighter and wondering why, despite all our efforts to diet and go to the gym, the number on the scale keeps edging higher.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced its recommendation to reduce the level of fluoride added to drinking water based on national survey data showing that 41% of American adolescents (ages 12-15) have dental fluorosis (a visible sign of fluoride toxicity).

In a Federal Register notice, the HHS solicited public comments on their recommendation. The Fluoride Action Network's submission to HHS is reproduced in full below.