Micronutrients & recovery
Selenium deficiency impairs immune response to viral infections, potentially increasing viral virulence and disease severity, particularly for RNA viruses like Coxsackievirus B3 and HIV.
For those with chronic viral infections like HIV, maintaining adequate selenium levels through diet or supplementation (if deficient) may support immune cell counts and potentially slow disease progression, though it is not a cure. For general viral prevention, ensuring adequate selenium is a baseline requirement for a functional immune system.
There is evidence in mouse models that selenium deficiency promotes the conversion of nonvirulent coxsackievirus B3 strains into a more virulent strain due to an increased oxidative stress... Low selenium intake has been associated with HIV prevalence... and the status of CD4+ T cell numbers has been correlated with selenium levels in HIV+ patients.
Why this rating
Strong mechanistic and animal data, plus observational human data, but randomized controlled trials showing direct mortality/morbidity reduction are mixed or confounded.
Source
Selenium, Selenoproteins, and Immunity
Joseph C. Avery et al. · Nutrients · 2018
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