Put your mug down.

Green tea -- that miracle beverage said to stave off heart disease, strokes and cancer -- probably isn't much of a miracle after all.

Hair dye. Sunscreen. Band-Aids.

If you believe this week's medical news, the stuff in your bathroom cabinets may pose a substantial health risk. Or it may not. It's hard to tell with the mixed information we hear in the media.

Selenium was the darling supplement of the 1980s, believed to prevent and possibly treat heart disease. The claims were based on a study that found that countries with the highest rate of disease were usually lacking in the trace element.

Selenium carried the reputation of super supplement through the '80s and '90s, but a study published last month in The American Journal of Epidemiology has revealed that when it comes to heart health, selenium was never all it was cracked up to be.

As with many hyped supplements, selenium has legitimately intriguing attributes, but is far from perfect.

One of my favorite resources, The Berkeley Wellness Letter, takes a critical look at the mineral in its December newsletter. Citing several recent studies, Berkeley concludes that selenium has been linked to cancer prevention because it may: