Got selenium?!?

 At the risk of stepping on Kelly's toes (JK, of course!), I think it may be useful for people to understand how important selenium is to our bodies and what can happen if you develop a deficiency (since apparently some surgeons ok the vitamins with no selenium in and them... and then don't even check the levels when they do labwork).

First of all, selenium helps fight a number of diseases that we become more prone to as we age, including arthritis, heart disease, and cancer because it contributes to the production of the antioxidant effects that help fight disease.  It is also necessary for proper functioning of the immune system, so a deficiency can leave your body more susceptible to all kinds of illnesses.  Selenium deficiency can result in fatigue, muscle weakness, and mental slowness or memory problems.  It can mimic hypothyroidism (and there is also some evidence that selenium deficiency can contribute to developing thyroid disorders) since it is necessary for conversion of thyroid hormones.  It has also been linked to repeated miscarriages.

It is something we don't need very much of (and in people with normal intestinal systems, deficiency is rare), but the potential problems created by not taking supplements than include it can be significant.  If you are taking multivitamins that do not include selenium, your doctor should at least  be checking your levels regularly.

Lora

Oh, you're not stepping on my toes!  I think this is a really important topic.

What vitamins don't have selenium in them?  Flintstones, for one.  And most, if not all, gummy vitamins (which are missing a bunch of other things, too).

And I think many surgeons do not routinely check your selenium.  You have to specifically request it.

And, one more interesting thing about selenium.  How much selenium is in a certain food depends on where that food is grown.  There is selenium in soil and some soil has a lot more than other soil.  If food is grown in soil that is high in selenium, the food has more selenium in it.  If food is grown in soil that is low in selenium, the food has less selenium.  Selenium deficiency is common in some parts of the world, like China, because the soil there is low in selenium.  Most of us aren't eating a lot of food from China, of course, but most of us probably do eat food from all over the place, so it can be very hard to determine how much selenium is in your food.  So you really do need the supplement.

My surgeon does not routinely test for it, so even though there is some in my multivitamins, I asked my PCP to check it the last time I had labs done.  He was happy to do it, especially since I already have thyroid problems (Graves Disease in 1989 followed by thyroid oblation (radioactive iodine) in 1990 and Synthroid ever since).

I knew about selenium because of my medical history, but would NOT have known otherwise because there was. I me ruin if it in the materials from my surgeon (and, other than having very limited info on vitamins, her info materials were pretty thorough), so it does not surprise me that most people don't know how important it is.

Lora

Yeah.  And selenium deficiency is rare in the US among people with normal digestive tracts, unless they have other health problems.  I think it's actually pretty rare in RNY folks that take a vitamin with selenium in it.  But it can happen and can be very serious.  We need to get our levels checked when we have labs done.

You gals are wonderful!  Thanks for the info!