Selenium and conversion?

[owl87]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have experience with or knowledge about selenium and t4 to t3 conversion? I was reviewing my diet and worked out im not getting the rdi of selenium - I'm getting about 40mcg a day against the rdi of 60mcg and I wonder if this is a contributor to my conversion problems.

If I were to increase my intake or take a supplement how long until I would expect to see improvements in conversion?

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Hi Owl87,Without testing, I would not recommend you supplement above 200mcg, as doses in excess of 400mcg can be toxic . Some members choose to eat a couple of Brazil nuts a day to boost selenium, but the content per nut varies according to soil type, so you have to check labels to ensure the soil is selenium rich. If you choose a tablet, selenium l-selenomethionine or a yeast bound selenium, are recommended.

Supplementing with selenium helped to lower my antibodies within 3 months (but they are still way over range!) and helped reduce eye inflammation (I have TED). For me, Selenium did not noticeably improve my conversion rate in blood tests, so I use combination thyroid medication (T3 and T4).

[owl87 in reply to Buddy195]

Thank you for the reply! I've heard about selenium toxicity so was looking at lowest dose ones which were 100mcg as a possibility. Thank you for the tips about the tablet forms and brazil nuts!Thats good to know it helped with antibodies but not with conversion for you. I think I'll have to at least try boosting my intake to the rdi and see if it makes any difference as a start

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to owl87]

SeasideSusie offered advice on Brazil nuts in a previous post, so I’ve copied the link

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Alderpoint1]

Hi, you may have already found your solution but wanted to let you know that selenium was recommended to me and I take 200mg per day and within 3 months upon retest, my reverse free T3 had improved. Zinc is also helpful but be careful not to take too much. Hope this helps.