What is Selenium?
Everything you need to know about Selenium, but were afraid to ask.
Selenium is an essential mineral, meaning that it should be consumed as part of your diet for optimal health.
- recognised as a dietary antioxidant along with Vitamin C, Vitamin E and beta-carotene
- helps the immune system work properly
- helps prevent joint inflammation
- According to the FDA: “limited and not conclusive” evidence that selenium may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer
Dietary sources of selenium?
Sources of selenium: Brazil nuts, fish, meat, eggs
Are you consuming enough selenium?
The amount of selenium in plant food is dependent on the amount found in the soil in which they are grown. For this reason, selenium deficiency is rare in North America, but is more common in parts of Europe, particularly Eastern Europe. Selenium soil levels in the UK are low, and importing wheat and grain from Europe instead of North America has further impacted the amount of selenium in our diets.
However, Brits typically have sub-optimal levels of selenium rather than a deficiency.
Too much selenium is bad for your health
Despite its antioxidant properties, selenium is detrimental to health if consumed regularly in quantities higher than needed. Most of the selenium we consume beyond our needs leaves the body in our urine, usually within 24 hours, but it can build up in our liver and kidneys if exposure levels are very high, or if exposure occurs over a long time. Brazil nuts contain relatively high amounts of selenium (68–91mcg per nut) and can cause selenium toxicity if consumed regularly or in any quantity, so go easy on them.
How much selenium do you need?
The NHS says the amount of selenium you need is 75μg a day for men (19 to 64 years). If you eat meat, fish or nuts, you should be able to get all the selenium you need from your daily diet.
INTEL: Reports of high levels of mercury in fish have caused people to stop eating fish. Basically, the bigger the fish, the higher the levels of mercury so swordfish, shark, king mackerel and similar large species should be avoided. Interestingly though, fish can also be rich in selenium and this selenium protects humans from the risk of mercury poisoning.
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Article last updated: 5th August 2024
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