Mercury Revisited - Part III – Is Selenium The Missing Link In The Mercury Controversy?

As I mentioned in part II of this series, contrary to popular belief in clinical nutrition circles, a large body of research suggests that the link between the presence of mercury or dental amalgams in the body and mercury related symptoms, while significant, is far from universal. Therefore, among individuals with fairly equal body burdens of mercury, the presence of any signs or symptoms related to that body burden will vary substantially. Could selenium levels in the body be the “X” factor that provides the explanation for this phenomenon? In continuing my exploration of this question, I would like to begin with a quote from a press release entitled “Americans advised to eat seafood twice a week” that was issued on December 21, 2005 by the Reuters news agency. Concerning mercury, the quote begins with the following: