selenium- Brazil nuts

[Goinginsane1]

should I start eating a Brazil nut daily to increase selenium in an attempt to help my poor conversion issue (high t4, low t3 and high tsh)? Do you think it will help in anyway?

[humanbean]

There is a very good reply by the late, lamented  SeasideSusie on the subject of selenium supplements and Brazil nuts in this thread, but you'll have to search for her name :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Buddy195 Administrator]

As Brazils may contain 50-90ug selenium each depending on soil type, it’s important not to eat more than 2 a day ( as supplementing above 400ug can be toxic). Definitely don’t eat Brazils and take a selenium supplement at the same time.

I’ve taken 200ug selenium in the past (recommended for active Thyroid Eye Disease) but then reduced to 100ug. I found selenium reduced my thyroid antibody levels (but they still remain above range!) I personally didn’t see any difference in conversion.

Perhaps trial a small dose of selenium (eg 50-100ug) OR 1-2Brazils a day for a few months to see if this affects your conversion rate.

[Goinginsane1 in reply to Buddy195]

I eat quite healthy including fish and other foods containing selenium daily. Do you think eating one Brazil nut a day on top would still be safe. Surely one Brazil nut won’t top me over the maximum would it?

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to Goinginsane1]

As I said previously, 1-2 Brazils a day should be fine.

I can’t comment on the selenium content of wider foods, but know Brazils contain the most (if grown in selenium rich soil).

[bikebabe in reply to Buddy195]

Puzzled as M&S sell 1/4 lb packets of chocolate Brazil nuts 8-10 which I’ve often troffed in one sitting. If they were so toxic then this surely wouldn’t be allowed.

[goingholiday in reply to bikebabe]

An occasional troff is probably okay. If you were troffing a bag a day …… I would probably check your breath 😜

[greygoose]

Selenium is like any other nutrient: supplementing is only going to help if you need it. Adding more of something to already optimal levels is not going to help anything and could be dangerous. So, if you can't get tested for it, immitate the rat: try a little and then curl up in a corner and see what happens. If it doesn't make you worse, try a little more. If it does make you worse, never touch it again!

NB not serious about curling up in a corner, that is not obligatory. But if you want to you can.

[TorcHouse]

Without knowing much about you, I'll add my experience. I'm not you, but...

With an egg-sized lump on my neck (eventually an ultrasound showed I had swollen nodules on both lobes), sleeping at the drop of a hat (I dare not drive), unable to find the words I wanted and slurring them on an evening... and being totally fobbed off by the GP, I very slowly (brain wouldn't work) started researching my symptoms.

I came across advice (so out of it mentally that I never made a note of where) that SIX Brazil nuts a day would help conversion. I can eat nuts, so I did. Within 3 months I felt like superwoman in comparison (the GP was dismissive, naturally). I kept that up for several months (can't recall how long), finding out in the meantime that I was Vitamin D deficient so began to sort that with capsules in olive oil plus co-factors, and then dropped to 4 Brazil nuts without any noticable loss of cognitive fall-back, and then 3 Brazil nuts.

Having found this group a looong time after, and used the FT4>FT3 conversion multiplier, I am still in the low conversion section. I am currently alternating between 200mg Selenium capsule and 3 Brazil nuts daily. Depending on how I feel I may drop one or other some more, but it is all trial and error.

I work to the advice that vitamins kick in after around a month and minerals need around three months. I am sub-clinical, so not medicated on Levothyroxine. If you are it could make a big difference.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

livestrong.com/article/5064...

I would NOT eat more than 2 Brazils per day.

[goingholiday in reply to Buddy195]

Oh !! Quite a scary read ….. I shall drop down to three a day for a while, then reduce to two. Always think it’s better to make any changes gradually. Thank you for posting the article.

[goingholiday]

30g serving of Brazil nuts are 10 or 11 nuts thereabouts depending on size obviously.

I have four a day which I feel keeps me within the safe zone.

[CoeliacMum1]

Just adding to probably what’s been said.

Selenium in food is only as good as where it’s grown so you won’t get an exact amount… selenium is toxic in high doses.

So if considering supplements or adding more in by diet be aware of all selenium overall you would be having.

Do you know if you’re deficient?

I’m aware they can test but don’t know where you get tested or if reliable.

Thyroid does need selenium but also many other things.

Poor thyroid conversion can be from numerous things… even genetic.

Through trying almost everything pushed at me for a decade reversing some things tackling various deficiencies (coeliac and absorption issues)… I’ve come to conclusion past year or more part of my problem with low FT3 (sometimes it’s gone under range) is probably oestrogen dominance (not necessarily too much oestrogen) just hormonal imbalances and this is just my thoughts and it’s probably why many women have more thyroid problems than men do as our hormones aren’t as stable… this isn’t obviously everyone’s issue just we cycle our hormones more than men they are steady mostly, and when we get to various stages of life female hormones goes up and down (even throughout the day never mind day to day) it could come with cascade of other issues and if we don’t eliminate used hormones efficiently, also with having autoimmune disorders it gets very complicated to decipher. Everyone can still have same condition but different symptoms depending on your own physiology genetics and lifestyle.

[posthinking01]

This is a good article

webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/sup...