Selenium Daily Intake

This mineral is mostly taken into the human body in foods and water. It is essential for making numerous body processes work properly. Selenium is often used for medicine.

Useful Properties

Selenium is important for normal thyroid gland function and protects against cancer and free radical damage as it stimulates the action of antioxidants.

Selenium is widely used for treating various diseases of blood vessels and heart. It is also efficient in preventing cancers of lung, prostate, skin, and stomach. Doctors often use it for curing under-active thyroid, macular degeneration, cataracts, mood disorders, osteoarthritis, CFS, RA, arsenic poisoning and many other diseases. 

It also helps to lower side effects from chemotherapy and prevent complications from burns and head injury.

Selenium Deficiency

Its deficiency leads to white spots on fingernails, unhealthy hair, and pains in joints and muscles. If the body lacks selenium for a very long time, it may provoke Hashimoto’s disease, which is chronic inflammation of the thyroid.

Selenium Side Effects

Selenium is safe for children and adults if its daily intake does not exceed 400 mcg/day, but its long-term excess can lead to diarrhea, hair loss, bad breath, nausea, loss of energy, vomiting, irritability, nail changes, and other health issues. Very high doses can cause tremor, facial flushing, kidney and liver problems, muscle tenderness, and some other side effects.

Selenium Absorption

As a rule, people get selenium from the diet. Its amount in products depends on where the food is produced, because soils in various regions have differing levels of selenium. In general, this mineral is easily absorbed.

Recommendations

If you suffer from selenium deficiency, do not forget to check its amount in the foods you eat, as it depends on the soil in which the product was grown or raised.

Selenium Uses

Effective for

Selenium deficiency

Possibly effective for

Selenium deficiency

Possibly ineffective for

Asthma, Eczema, Bladder cancer, Heart disease, Critical illness, Diabetes, Lung cancer, Prostate cancer, Scaly, itchy skin, Skin cancer, Blood infection

Insufficient evidence for

Arsenic poisoning, Cancer, Cataracts, Colon cancer, rectal cancer, Kidney damage in people with diabetes, Cancer of the esophagus, HIV/AIDS, Overactive thyroid, Underactive thyroid, Liver cancer, Mercury poisoning, Osteoarthritis, Ovarian cancer, Death from any cause, Pancreatic cancer, Swelling of the pancreas, High blood pressure during pregnancy, Diarrhea caused by radiation therapy, Rheumatoid arthritis, Muscle weakness caused by statin drugs, Abnormal pap smears, Atherosclerosis, Flu, Burns, Cataracts, Kidney damage caused by cancer drugs, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Liver scarring, Gray hair, Hay fever, Heart failure, A type of inflammatory bowel disease, Macular degeneration, Mood disorders, Preventing miscarriage, Stomach cancer, Toxicity from cancer drugs

Top 11 Foods Highest in Selenium

• Brazil nuts
• Oysters
• Tuna
• Crab
• Whole-wheat bread
• Sunflower seeds
• Pork
• Beef
• Lamb
• Chicken
• Turkey