Essential Information about Selenium: Its Purpose and Importance (Yet a Balanced Intake is Crucial)
Selenium, an essential mineral that your body cannot produce, offers a multitude of health benefits. This nutrient plays a crucial role in supporting metabolism, thyroid function, brain health, immune health, antioxidant protection, and reproductive health [1][3][5].
A Powerful Antioxidant and Immune Booster
Selenium helps maintain healthy thyroid hormone production, protects cells from oxidative stress by acting as an antioxidant, and supports immune system regulation [3]. It contributes to white blood cell function and cytokine production, which are essential for a robust immune response.
Cancer Prevention and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Studies have shown an inverse relationship between selenium levels and the risk of certain types of cancer [1]. Selenium may also provide protection against chronic diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, although further research is needed to confirm these findings [3].
Ensuring Adequate Selenium Intake
To ensure adequate selenium intake through diet, focus on consuming selenium-rich foods such as:
- Brazil nuts: Just 1-2 nuts provide the recommended daily intake
- Seafood: Include fish like cod, tuna, halibut, sardines, salmon, and organ meats such as liver and liver
- Muscle meats: Opt for beef, turkey, lamb, and chicken
Remember, the selenium content in plant foods can vary greatly depending on soil selenium levels, so a varied diet including these foods is ideal [2][3].
Safe Selenium Intake
The recommended intake for adults aged 19 and over is around 55 micrograms (mcg) per day, with higher requirements for pregnant and lactating women (60 mcg and 70 mcg respectively) [2]. The upper safety limit is generally considered to be about 400 mcg per day. It's best to obtain selenium from food rather than supplementation unless advised by a healthcare professional to avoid possible toxicity [2].
Consuming more than 400 mcg a day of selenium may lead to side effects like a metallic taste in the mouth, brittle hair and nails, diarrhea, discolored teeth, fatigue, garlicky breath, hair loss, muscle tenderness, nausea, rashes, and possible selenium toxicity [4]. Selenium toxicity is associated with severe issues like breathing problems, tremors, kidney failure, heart attack, and heart failure [6].
In North America, selenium deficiency is rare, and unless you're eating organ meats every day, you're probably not getting too much of it either [7]. However, people who have HIV, are undergoing kidney dialysis, or mostly eat locally grown foods from soil low in selenium may have a hard time getting enough selenium [5].
If you have concerns about your selenium levels, speak with a healthcare provider to figure out safe next steps.
[1] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4111213/ [2] - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/ [3] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3269037/ [4] - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-Consumer/ [5] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3547029/ [6] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3088461/ [7] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4111213/
- Selenium, as a vital component of health-and-wellness, supports both brain health and immune health, acting as an antioxidant that protects cells from damage and boosting the immune system's response.
- With a significant role in nutrition, selenium found in foods like Brazil nuts, seafood, muscle meats, and organ meats helps maintain selenium intake within healthy levels, benefiting reproductive health, metabolism, and thyroid function.
- By practicing a diet that is rich in selenium sources like these food items, one can avoid both selenium deficiency and potential toxicity, thereby promoting overall health and wellness.
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