Boost selenium with daily brazil nuts

Researchers from Otago University, led by Christine Thomson from the HFG Editorial Advisory Board, recently compared methods of increasing people’s selenium status.

They concluded that eating just two Brazil nuts a day is as effective for increasing selenium status, and enhancing its antioxidant effects, as taking a 100µg selenium supplement (selenomethionine). Brazil nuts are the richest known food source of selenium and are preferable to supplementation because they are less expensive and people are more likely to continue eating a food for life than taking a supplement.

New Zealand soils are low in selenium and, despite improvements in dietary selenium intakes in recent years, blood selenium concentrations are still lower than in many other Western countries. Supplementation still results in cellular improvements that suggest our intakes are less than needed for optimal levels of functional selenium-containing proteins.

Marginal selenium status has been associated with increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, altered immune function, decreased male fertility, inflammatory disorders, autoimmune thyroid disease, and viral infection.

We suggest that if you don’t already include brazil nuts in your diet, now is a good time to start. Of course, it is still possible to get too much of a good thing and Professor Thomson warns “There is a need to add a caution against eating too many Brazil nuts as there is a risk of getting too much selenium and perhaps other compounds.” Two a day is a good guideline.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, February 2008