Youngevity Selenium review: selenium plus vitamins, trace minerals and berry extracts

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Some people like their minerals one at a time. Others would rather take a single capsule that brings a few helpers along. If you're in the second group, this one is worth a look.

Youngevity Selenium is built around selenium, a trace mineral your body can't make on its own, so it has to come from food or supplements. Youngevity surrounds it with a set of vitamins, other trace minerals and fruit extracts that it calls cofactors.

Why selenium gets attention

You need only tiny amounts of selenium, measured in micrograms, but your body puts it to work in a lot of places. It's used to make antioxidant enzymes that help protect cells from free radical damage. It's tied closely to thyroid health. And it supports normal immune function.

Youngevity uses the L-selenomethionine form, which is selenium attached to an amino acid, the way it's often found in foods like grains and nuts. The company highlights it for immune support, thyroid support and cellular defense.

The cofactors

This is the part that sets it apart from a plain selenium tablet. Each capsule lists:

• Vitamins A, C, D3 and E

• Zinc, copper and chromium

• A proprietary blend with L-aspartic acid, elderberry fruit extract, blueberry fruit extract, bilberry fruit extract and vanadium

Vitamins A, C and E and the minerals zinc and copper are familiar names in antioxidant support, so they make natural partners for selenium. The berry extracts add a little extra from the fruit side. Youngevity describes the whole thing as an all-in-one capsule designed to help your body make good use of what's inside.

The capsule itself is gelatin, so it isn't a vegetarian product. The only other listed ingredient is magnesium silicate.

A bit of background

The formula comes from Dr. Joel Wallach's 90 For Life approach, which is built on the idea that people need a set of 90 essential nutrients. This capsule is one piece of that system. If you already use other Youngevity products, it fits right in. If you don't, it works perfectly well on its own.

Plenty of shoppers have stuck with it for years. It holds 4.8 stars from more than 1,300 Amazon ratings, and reviewers often mention how long they've been taking it.

How to take it

Youngevity's suggested use is one capsule three times a day, or as your healthcare professional directs. The bottle holds 90 capsules, so at the full amount that's a one-month supply.

Spacing the capsules out with breakfast, lunch and dinner is an easy way to remember. Some people with a selenium-rich diet start with one or two a day instead and talk it over with their doctor.

It was listed at $30.95 when I checked, which comes to about a dollar a day at the full serving. Considering how many nutrients share that capsule, I think that's reasonable.

A few friendly tips

Selenium is a nutrient where the total amount matters, so it pays to do a little math.

• Three capsules give you 300 mcg of selenium. The upper limit for adults is 400 mcg a day from all sources combined.

• Check your multivitamin, since many already include selenium and zinc.

• Brazil nuts are very high in selenium, so enjoy them in small numbers on days you take this.

If you take thyroid medication or have a thyroid condition, have a quick chat with your doctor first, because selenium and the thyroid are so closely linked. The same goes if you're pregnant or nursing, or if you take other prescriptions.

Worth adding to your shelf

If you like the idea of covering selenium and its usual partners in one simple habit, this is a well-loved option with a long track record. Have a look at Youngevity Selenium and see whether it suits your routine.

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