Benefits and Side Effects of Selenium

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What is Selenium?
Selenium is an essential trace element the body needs for good health and proper functioning. It is found in soil and water and is bioconcentrated by plants from the soil. Plants and animals that live in places where the soil is rich in selenium have high amounts of this mineral.
Selenium exists in inorganic and organic forms. Inorganic selenium occurs in the soil as selenite and selenate while organic selenium occurs as selenoproteins such as selenocysteine and selenomethionine. Plants accumulate inorganic selenium from the soil and converts this to organic form, which is consumed by animals and man.
In the body, selenium is incorporated with aminoacids like methionine to form selenomethionine. It is mostly stored as proteins in the skeletal muscles, which account for up to 46% of the total selenium found in the body. Other forms of organic selenium may be converted to selenophosphate for the synthesis of other selenoproteins.
Selenium is essential as a cofactor of certain enzymes that help maintain normal body functions. For example, it aids in the reduction of glutathione peroxidase enzymes, which have antioxidant activity. It also acts as a cofactor of thyroid hormone enzymes and is therefore important in all thyroid gland activities.

Selenium Food Sources
Selenium rich foods include seafoods, organ meats, muscle meats, dairy products, cereals and grains, breads, poultry, and eggs. Nuts, especially Brazil nuts and walnuts, are excellent selenium foods. Eating just 6-8 pieces of Brazil nuts can supply more than 700% of the daily value (DV) of selenium recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many types of fish, like cod, tuna, halibut, sardines, herring, and red snapper are good selenium...

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...the amount of selenium one needs for adequate nutrition in most healthy people have been defined as:

Group
Recommended Dietary Allowance
(micrograms/day)
Children 0-3 years
10 to 20
Children 4-8 years
20 to 30
Children 9-13 years
40
Above 14 years
55
Pregnant women
60 to 65
Breastfeeding women
70 to 75

Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) for Selenium:

Groups
UL
(micrograms)
Birth to 6 months
45
7–12 months
60
1–3 years
90
4–8 years
150
9–13 years
280
14–18 years
400
19+ years
400
Pregnant
400
Lactating
400

Works Cited

WebMD. Selenium. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-selenium

NIH. Selenium. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/

Mayo Clinic. Selenium Supplement (Oral Route).
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/selenium-supplement-oral-route/description/drg-20063649

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