Recommendations please for selenium and dosage?
Selenium : Recommendations please for selenium... - Thyroid UK
Selenium
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jodes86baldwin
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TiggerMeAmbassador
Short term they say no more than 400mcg if you are thinking of adding it for the winter then 100mcg daily 🤗
I wouldn't dream of taking 400 micrograms!
A number of years ago, 400 micrograms was widely accepted as reasonable. Even then, I disagreed. Too much. Too close to the toxic level.
The document linked below states 400 micrograms as the maximum tolerable intake. But it is unlikely that anyone has a diet with absolutely zero selenium. Taking 400 micrograms therefore will always take you over.
Safer to limit to a maximum of 200 micrograms and probably more sensible to limit to 100 micrograms. That document lists 70 micrograms as the highest RDA.
We always need to remember that most of us have to supplement without having prior testing.
Selenium
Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/S...
Yes I agree 400mcg seems excessive.... not sure how long 'short term' is or how well it is absorbed? Or if it is one of those minerals that is best replenished in slightly higher doses every few months rather than taking daily?
I take 200mcg on alternate days, Selenium toxicity has some very unpleasant side effects. I avoid Brazil nuts although I love them, as 2 or 3 are enough for the daily RDA and who sticks to that 🐷
Is it that impossible to get testing in the UK? I have it here but the Selenium RBC test is pretty expensive
Yes - selenium tests are available in the UK. At least several NHS labs offer them (could even be most or all, just checked enough to be sure - not comprehensively).
One private blood test company offers combined Copper, Zinc, Selenium, Magnesium for £105. So not cheap!
Buddy195Administrator
I would not exceed 100ug a day. I took 200ug when my thyroid eye disease was active but reduced to 100ug when this stage passed. Studies have shown 400ug daily can be toxic. Care needs to be taken with Brazil nuts as they can contain 50-90ug per nut, according to soil type.
So if you ate a Brazil nut every day just one extra on top of a normal healthy diet do you think that would be enough or is it better to take a supplement?
It all depends on the selenium content of the soil, but definitely only eat 1-2 nuts daily. I wanted to know exactly how much selenium I was taking (as studies show 200ug daily may help mild- moderate TED), so chose to supplement in pill form. It’s worth reading the ingredient list if you choose Brazils, as selenium content can vary between 50 and 90ug per nut.
Thank you, I’ve read so much about taking too much of it I’m afraid to start a supplement incase I’m then taking too much .
Many people take small quantities and really don't notice anything.
That isn't to say it isn't restoring their selenium levels but it is likely to be subtle.
200ug selenium helped lower my thyroid antibody levels (although they are still over range!) but more importantly to me, helped reduce some eye swelling associated with TED. I only took this higher dose for 6 months, then reduced to 100ug, as recommended by my Endo and TED specialist ophthalmologist. If I have a TED flare, I do increase my dose again to 200ug for a short period of time.
This is good to know thank you, I’m undiagnosed but learning here and trying to eat well, I was about to invest in a big sack of Brazil’s but if it’s 1-2 daily there’s no need. Does this type of limitation apply to almonds, cashews and pumpkin seeds which I also thought I should be eating plenty of?
It’s worth looking at the ingredient list on other nuts to check selenium content, although Brazils are definitely the ones with highest selenium levels.
The recommended amount of almonds or cashews a day is 1 ounce of between 20-23 almond or 18-20 cashews , although if you use almond or cashew milk and cheese you may want to eat a lot less.The American Heart Association recommends about quarter of a cup of pumpkin seeds a day , it about 30g to help improve cardiac health.
Basically about an ounce is recommended for most nuts or seeds.
You do need to be quite careful with sesame seeds as they can effect your blood glucose levels and so a level tablespoon is the recommended amount.
Brazil nuts are highly limited because of the selenium so 1-2 large nuts or 3 medium are recommended if eaten on a daily basis . Although before I knew about the limits I had been known to eat more usually around Christmas with no ill effects.
If you eat nuts and seeds regularly like this, and don't have diagnosed digestive problems , you also need to be aware that you may not require a combined supplement that contains minerals and be careful if you take oral calcium and magnesium.
As nuts and seeds provide a large amount of the RDA for these minerals and you do not want to have an excess of them on a daily basis , especially if you have certain types of heart or blood pressure conditions.
This is really useful thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with such a long post. I’m veggie so nuts snd seeds are a staple for me, I have no known heart or BP issues but high cholesterol GP said after blood tests. I use cows milk and have half a pint daily and enjoy cheese. I eat plenty of diary as I’m osteoporotic following steroids for my rheumatoid condition diagnosed aged 17 in 1979, I was med free apart from pain relief by my mid 20s but I don’t think they knew about steroids and bones then so took nothing to counteract the steroid effects. I’m shocked to find how little I knew about all of these nutrients and doses, thinking that gobbling nuts snd seeds instead of cake was the answer all these years 😃 Thanks again for your valued help.
I started taking 100 mcg of selenium daily as per Dr Sarah Myhill's website as I hadn't tested for it. On testing 3-4 months later I found I was almost at the top of the range and completely gobsmacked as it eradicated the scalp psoriasis which had plagued me for over 20 years. I'm intolerant of brazil nuts.
I eat one or two Brazil nuts every few days. This is a handy guide on this website healthline.com/health/selen...
Just 1-2 Brazil nuts chopped up on your breakfast oats , yoghurt or on a lunch salad will give you the recommended amount of selenium a day. I usually have mine mixed with other chopped nuts , mixed berries and a teaspoon of local or manuka honey on my breakfast yoghurt or oats.I've included the recommended amount of nuts or seed portions in a reply for someone else on the post.
If you take a combined supplement each day after a meal most have more than enough selenium in them so you shouldn't take an extra selenium supplement.
If you have no food absorption or digestive problems it is far better to get the nutrients from food if you can. Stay healthy , Bee
Which brand of brazil nuts do you recommend that list their selenium content?
I'm not sure if any nut products specify the selenium or trace mineral contents on their packaging.The RDA and mineral content levels for nuts can be found by looking them up on nutritional information listings.
I order most of my organic nuts , seeds and pulses online from a company called, Buy Wholefoods online.
They have a great variety of products and a good organic selection , plus their prices are reasonable no matter how big the pack is , so it's better for people whom might not require big bags of everything.
I also time my orders so I can get them on the weeks when they give away the more expensive items I order free . They do a different giveaway product each week.
Thanks, yes I have used them in the past but thought that brazil nuts are only good for selenium if stated that they are grown in selenium rich soil... I'll go have a rummage🤗
Have a read of this:
Ubiquitous Occurrence of Nano Selenium in Food Plants
Selenium is being used on young coffee plants to enhance their ability to survive cold/frosty weather! Though whether this affects the end selenium content of coffee wasn't clear to me!
Selenium content in the crops
The contents of selenium in soils shows a large variation within European countries. It's seen on the map here that there particularly is lack of selenium (darkest areas) in soils in Spain, Poland, northern parts of Germany and the Baltics.
Note that Lincolnshire and Norfolk are very low. And yet they are massive vegetable growing areas.
Get your tatties from Cornwall, west Wales, west Scotland and Ireland!
Many years ago, it was pointed out that north American wheat provided much selenium to the UK diet. But more is now grown in the UK and (at least before brexit) in Europe.
Also, note that Poland and Germany (and elsewhere) also appear low in selenium and are already well-known as being low in iodine.
What a lot of words 🍄!! Seems a round about way of doing it.... why not just give the supplements to the deficient people rather than the crops?
a) Selenium might have agricultural properties as well;
b) When in food, it will be at very low concentration so no issues with large variations in ingested selenium as you get with any supplementary form;
c) Much less likely for anyone to overdose.
Seems odd they need to protect coffee plants from the cold with all this global warming?
Remember tales of the desert where it scorched in the day yet ice formed at night?
I thought coffee is grown nearer to rainforest? 😆
What do I know I'm a tea drinker.... coffee is only good for enemas 🤣
But high up!
The desert bit was just a point - not saying that is where coffee is usually grown.
But they do grow coffee in countries we often consider as generally desert countries. Saudi!
Found this...
honey-guide.com/2012/11/19/...
It would seem if you want a selenium rich brazil nut then it needs to come from Brazil!
Organic Bolivian ones that Wholefoods offer are not rich in selenium 😕but their non organic offering comes from Brazil so chances are they have a much better selenium content
Their broken nuts are non organic and come from Bolivia!
Per 5g nut
I may consider changing to a Brazilian nut then.I am conscious of the fact that I don't just get selenium from the Brazil nuts I eat. The combination of foods I have each day as well as the Brazil nuts give me enough selenium each day. It's surprising just how much selenium you do get each day from a varied diet.
It is hard to gauge quite how much we are taking in as it is the same with the nuts, things need to be grown in selenium rich soil to be able to take it up... If you want to be confident in at least part of your intake you can only really use a supplement but then how much of that you absorb....?? 😵💫
Turns out UK soils are low in selenium 😕
Exactly, I personally have Pancreatic Enzyme Insufficiency and B 12 and Folate Deficiency so the amount of any nutrient I absorb is effected by these health issues. If you have absorption issues for whatever reason there aren't any guarantees with oral supplements either , and the supplements still need to be taken with the right foods to improve their absorption time.
Depending on how well a persons digestive system and metabolism works they can get as little as a quarter of the dose from an oral supplement, from experience of having recurrent deficiencies despite oral supplements I know it's hard for us all to be confident in these things. And to know which nutrients you absorb properly and which you don't.
Despite having PET treatment and having a good diet , and even taking sublingual supplements, there are certain vitamins and minerals that I still need to have by injection or infusion, without these I am not able to properly absorb and metabolise the other nutrients orally. With them , I can get my trace elements and other nutrients from food sources.
Take care , Bee
Yeah, I read a while back that selenium levels in UK soil has dropped by over 50%.
Farmers Weekly states 90% of the land is deficient and that was in 2007 😕
Yeah, it's widespread sadly.
What an informative thread. Thank you for starting it jodes.
I recommend that you test selenium before supplementing. I supplemented 200mcg for 120 days and was nearing toxicity. This took my selenium 441.18% through the range. It turns out my selenium levels are naturally up-regulated and are 142.86% through the range unsupplemented. I tested privately , twice. Not cheap, but very illuminating.
I have a double CBS mutation which up-regulates selenium and causes hypothyroidism according to Dr.Izabella Wentz and Dr. Lam, per their internet sites.
If you use Blue Horizon , essential trace elements blood test (currently £105, ouch!), then you will also have copper and zinc tested at the same time, which are also important to the thyroid. It is not a finger -prick test.
You cannot assume you are low or deficient in selenium.
jodes86baldwin,
Melissa Cohen (ThyroidUK nutritionist) in her webinar stated 200mcg selenium can be taken when addressing a deficiency, and 100mcg is good to take on a daily basis with thyroid disorders. This seemed to be the general suggested safe dosage as I have also read the same advice in books by Isabella Wentz and Datis Kharrizian.
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