Re: Selenium & Iodine - What's the Right Balance?

[Guest guest]

Hi Abbe: good question. There are not a lot of studies out there

that analyze the amount of dietary selenium necessary when consuming

multi-mg+/day of iodine. That's one reason why I found that bit of

information about the Japanese intriguing - the Japanese average

13.8mg/day of iodine... " many Japanese average 600 mcg daily from

their diet " .

Standard ranges for selenium supplementation are 200-400mcg, with

most sources conservatively recommending 200mcg. " Standard " medicine

is of the opinion that doses over 1000mcg/day may cause side effects

or toxicity. Supplementing with at least 400mcg/day, possibly 600mcg

while on high iodine supplementation may be reasonable, especially

in light of Japanese consumption. 400mcg is the US FDA UTL (Upper

Tolerable Level).

Although, consumption & absorption are two entirely different

issues. Some forms of selenium are better metabolized than others.

From my limited research on the dietary sources of Japanese

selenium, it appears the majority of it is from seafood. Their rice

is a relatively poor source of SE. OTOH, rice in the US has a much

higher selenium component in comparison to that of Japan. I have

some links on Japanese selenium levels, but I'll leave that to

another post. This one is long enough .

Here are my relevant posts on selenium-iodine research. The ones

that discuss possible dosing are marked with a **. See what you

think:

iodine/message/10279

iodine/message/10199

iodine/message/10186

iodine/message/10134

iodine/message/9753

iodine/message/9749

iodine/message/9723 **

iodine/message/9702

iodine/message/9649 **

iodine/message/9572

iodine/message/9565

iodine/message/9396

Bear in mind that you should consider other sources of selenium that

you consume in your diet & other supplements. Some multi-vitamins

have little/no selenium. Others provide 200mcg. Brazil nuts can be a

concentrated source of selenium, but the content can vary greatly

depending on the selenium content of the local soil, so it's an

erratic source.

Also, some people may be selenium-sensitive. This appears to crop up

in some Hashimoto's patients. These same Hashi patients can be

sensitive to iodine as well. Is it related? There is new research

showing antibodies to the sodium-iodine symporter (NIS) system.

Could this be why they are sensitive? We don't know yet.

If you plan on increasing your selenium, I would do so gradually, so

you can monitor for any sensitivities or signs that you may be over-

dosed for your nutritional needs. I assume you've already been

dosing iodine for a while. Research indicates that when one is both

iodine & selenium deficient, the iodine deficiency should be

addressed first, then the selenium.

You may want to consider taking both the selenomethionine &

methylselenocysteine forms (separate from each other). The

selenomethionine is good at increasing tissue selenium levels.

Methylselenocysteine appears to be the better anti-cancer agent.

There may be synergies with taking both. I'm still poking around on

the topic. A poster on another board brought it to my attention.

Something in the 200-600mcg range has a reasonable amount of

research in effectiveness & low risk of toxicity with long-term use.

That's probably a good jumping off point for your consideration.

I hope you find my non-specific answer helpful

>

> Hello ,

>

> Thank you for this. You may have provided this information

> previously, is so I am sorry to ask again: Do you have any figures

for the complementary amount of selenium to 12.5 mg Iodoral daily?

>

> Thanks,

> Abbe

[Guest guest]

MDR for selenium is about 70 mcg. Many supplements have upwards

of 200 mcg selenium today, which may be too much for some people,

especially those with autoimmune thyroid problems. Just have to

experiment around and see what works best for you. 25 mcg

works well for me. I'm one whose thyroid is also aggravated by

high iodine. Like cindi, I know what to do to keep my

thyroid stable, and what not to do to aggravate it.

Any mineral is toxic in excess.

One brazil nut is said to have the MDR of selenium.

Fish and blue green algaes like spirulina are also very high

in selenium. Kelp and nori and other sea vegetables might

be high in selenium also?

For many years I had confused the effects of iodine and selenium.

High selenium was not even on my radar screen at the time.

I thought surely there must be high iodine in spirulina

since I'd get thyroid aggravation from a big spoonful in a smoothie,

and I know I'm sensitive to high iodine as in shellfish, etc.

Turns out it was the high selenium in spirulina.

Selenium helps foster T3. Anyone taking Armour thyroid to an

optimal level for themselves is already getting a hefty amount

of T3.

I suspect that a lot of the benefits of selenium are actually

from thyroid hormone.

Carol

willis_protocols

my article archive in Files, blog, Links, not a discussion group.

[Guest guest]

jbt, thanks for this information. I have a couple of questions:Also, some people may be selenium-sensitive. This appears to crop up

in some Hashimoto's patients. These same Hashi patients can be

sensitive to iodine as well. Is it related? There is new research

showing antibodies to the sodium-iodine symporter (NIS) system.

Could this be why they are sensitive? We don't know yet.Is this an antibody which can be tested for?

If you plan on increasing your selenium, I would do so gradually, so

you can monitor for any sensitivities or signs that you may be over-

dosed for your nutritional needs. I assume you've already been

dosing iodine for a while. Research indicates that when one is both

iodine & selenium deficient, the iodine deficiency should be

addressed first, then the selenium.

can you point me to the research article where this information appears? I couldn't find it. Thanks.Lynne> >> > Hello ,> > > > Thank you for this. You may have provided this information > > previously, is so I am sorry to ask again: Do you have any figures > for the complementary amount of selenium to 12.5 mg Iodoral daily?> > > > Thanks,> > Abbe>

[Guest guest]

Including this post below in full. Searching the archives is good for common

questions - especially for new people as there are a lot new here.

I was going to post a link but decided to reply and include it.

In searching the archives one can find gold;

For example going to:

iodine/messages

enter in search box there: (as example)

" best form of selenium "

Returns some of the best answers I have seen. I did this as I was going to do a

major post on selenium, but in searching first I realized it wasn't necessary.

It's been done before, and done very well. The below is from a different search.

Back in 2006 even.

Bruce

> >

> > Hello ,

> >

> > Thank you for this. You may have provided this information

> > previously, is so I am sorry to ask again: Do you have any figures

> for the complementary amount of selenium to 12.5 mg Iodoral daily?

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Abbe

>