In recent years many exciting research results have indicated that selen- ium, depending on its concentration, can influence mammalian metabo- lism. It has been estimated that in selenium-deficient areas, selenium or selenium-vitamin E combinations added to animal feed can prevent an- nuallosses to beef and dairy cattle and sheep valued at 545 million dollars and poultry and swine losses valued at 82 million dollars. Some animal diseases that can be prevented by a selenium-supple- mented diet include liver necrosis, nutritional muscular dystrophy, exu- dative diathesis, pancreatic...

The importance of environmental factors in the etiology of the major degener ative diseases, including cancers, is now generaIly accepted. Evidence obtained from studies with experimental animals and from human populations associates nutritional factors and dietary constituents with the causation of cancers at differ ent sites in the body. Estimates by epidemiologists based on comparisons of various population groups have indicated that as much as 50% of the cancer mortality may be influenced by diet. An important indicator is found in migrants to the United States or to other countries who...