John Myers
Selenium has many important functions in the body, which is why you should ensure an adequate intake of trace element through your food. Here you can find out how selenium affects health, which foods contain a lot of it, and how much you need.
What is selenium important for and how does a deficiency affect it?
As a building block of enzymes, selenium is involved in central processes in the body. The trace element carries
- to maintain normal hair and nails,
- the normal function of the immune system,
- a normal function of the thyroid gland,
- to protect cells from oxidative stress
- and normal sperm formation.
Accordingly, a deficiency can manifest itself in immunodeficiency, reduced male fertility, and disorders of muscle function. A connection can also be established with the thyroid disease Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. However, such deficiency symptoms rarely occur in Germany with a balanced diet and normal health.
Wide range of foods containing selenium
The range of foods with selenium is relatively broad, since the trace element is contained in both plant and animal foods. Good sources are generally legumes, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, garlic, onions and Brazil nuts.
However, the selenium content in these foods varies greatly depending on the soil conditions, which is why no precise information can be given. The European soils contain less selenium than those in America, but more than, for example, the fields in China. Incidentally, the iodine content in food also varies greatly from region to region.
Anyone who eats a vegan or vegetarian diet should therefore ask their doctor whether dietary supplements with selenium make sense for them. If you eat meat, fish, and eggs, the intake of foods with a lot of selenium is automatically higher and the requirement is usually covered.
What is the selenium requirement?
As with some other minerals, the daily requirement for the trace element also depends on age. An intake of 70 micrograms is recommended for men from the age of 15 and 60 micrograms for women from this age. Breastfeeding women should consume 75 micrograms daily. For example, this amount is approximately in
- six to seven Brazil nuts,
- a large portion of lentils,
- 200 grams of Bismarck herring.
An egg contains an average of 11 micrograms of selenium, and 100 grams of mushrooms about 3 micrograms. If you want to achieve the reference values with a purely vegan diet, you should eat legumes, Brazil nuts, and rice frequently. When deciding on dietary supplements, it should be borne in mind that excessive selenium intake over a long period of time can have side effects such as neurological problems, joint pain, digestive disorders, and fatigue. However, you would have to consume more than 300 micrograms a day for this.
