Vitamin Supplements

How Much Selenium Do You Need?

Conclusive evidence of the need for selenium has emerged only in recent years, and our knowledge of this nutrient is still evolving. With some research indicating that elevated levels of selenium could help prevent certain types of cancer, we believe that the consumption of selenium at doses somewhat higher than the RDAs is important.

Optimal Daily Allowance

We recommend that all people consume 100 mcg of selenium per day. This nearly doubles the RDA for women and is almost a 50 percent increase for men.

While you could probably safely increase your selenium intake to 200 mcg per day, it’s unwise to go any higher because a few people may begin to experience adverse reactions at these elevated levels.

Food Sources

Brazil nuts are the best dietary source of selenium. Seafood, liver, and kidney are also rich in selenium. Other meats tend to be good sources, too, as are milk and egg yolks.

Although grains and vegetables (especially mushrooms and onions) can contain substantial amounts of selenium, the precise level depends on the selenium content of the soil in which the crops were grown and the water used to nourish them.

How Much Selenium Are You Getting?

Before you decide that you need to take selenium supplements or change the way you eat, you should know where you stand and how much improvement you really need. To help you analyze your current diet, we’ve developed a system you can use to calculate your approximate selenium intake. (You’ll find this system in the other vitamin and mineral chapters, too.) Following is a list of selemium food sources, arranged according to the percentage of our Optimal Daily Allowance contained in them. Since a 3 ounce serving of light chicken meat contains 5.10 mcg of selenium and the ODA for selenium is 100 mcg, we’ve listed this food item in the 5 Percent category.

To determine your average daily intake of selenium, start by keeping an accurate food diary for three or four days. The longer you keep the diary, the more accurate your calculations will be. Write down exactly what you eat and drink, together with an estimate of the serving size. Don’t concern yourself with precisely how much selenium each food item contains; simply use the chart to find the food item and the percentage of the ODA that it provides. Then add up all these percentages to see if you reach 100 percent each day.

If a particular item in your meals is missing from this list (it would be impossible to include every food item here), use the nutritional information on the food packaging. Most packaged foods are required to list their vitamin and mineral contents on the label.

After you’ve determined how much selenium you are obtaining from your diet each day, you can calculate whether you need to take supplements to reach the ODA. Let’s say that you determine that you are getting 60 percent of your selenium targetdiet alone. You are consuming 60 mcg of selenium in your diet (60 percent x 100 mcg = 60 mcg). To make up the difference, through we would advise you to supplement your diet with 40 mcg of selenium in tablet form (100 mcg — 60 mcg = 40 mcg).

Because selenium is commonly sold in doses of 50 or 100 mcg, you may have difficulty getting a supplement in the exact amount you want. We recommend that you get as close as you can without cutting up tablets just to get a precise amount. If you need a supplement of 40 mcg, it’s fine to go a little higher and take a 50 mcg tablet to more than meet your needs without any real risk.

HOW MUCH SELENIUM DO YOU NEED TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL HEALTH?

We recommend a daily intake of 100 mcg of selenium. Although a dose up to 200 mcg is acceptable, a few people may experience side effects from supplementation higher than 200 mcg.

WHAT SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF SELENIUM YOU NEED TO TAKE?

You should be particularly conscientious about consuming the ODA of selenium if you are under physical or emotional stress, take inadequate amounts of vitamin E, or are pregnant or breast- feeding.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CONSUME THE OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF SELENIUM THROUGH DIET ALONE?

According to one survey, the average adult takes slightly more selenium than the ODA. Many people need a supplement to meet their optimal requirements, however.

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