Everyone has heard of essential vitamins and minerals like protein, calcium, and others. What most people don’t realize, however, is that there is a long list of different minerals that your body needs in order to function properly. When your body can’t produce them on its own, you need to get them in your diet (or through another source).

One of these minerals is called Selenium, which is a trace element. This just means that humans don’t need very much of it. It can be found in the soil, in water, and even in the air. Not surprisingly, this means that it is also found in many of the foods that people eat, including most meats, eggs, fish, and other protein-rich dishes. One food that has an extremely high amount of selenium is Brazil nuts. These nuts contain 989% of your recommended daily intake in just one serving.

Since it is so readily available in foods that most people enjoy regularly, it isn’t common to have a deficiency, at least in the Western world. Just because it is easy to get enough of, however, doesn’t mean it isn’t something that is important and should be tracked, especially when going on a new diet.

Getting enough of this mineral is important for overall health, and has been specifically linked to a number of things, including:

• DNA Production – Your body is constantly producing new DNA when replacing old cells. Selenium is essential for this process, and if there isn’t enough of it, the DNA could be damaged.
• DNA Protection – Your existing DNA needs small amounts of selenium in order to avoid breaking down or otherwise having issues.
• Heart Health – Insufficient selenium can cause a heart condition called Keshan Disease, which causes scarring of the heart muscle.
• Arthritis Prevention – Kashin-Beck Disease is a similar-sounding condition, but it is actually a type of arthritis that causes cartilage degeneration.
• Cancer – Some researchers believe that not getting enough selenium can lead to increased risks of cancer, though no studies have proven this yet.
• Hypothyroidism – Selenium is essential for the thyroid gland. Selenium supplements have been looked into as a way to stop the progression of Hashimoto’s disease, which is a disease where the immune system attacks the thyroid.

The list goes on and on. While more research is needed on many of these things, there is no doubt that selenium is an important nutrient that everyone needs to get enough of. Of course, as the saying goes, the poison is in the dose. Too much selenium can also cause problems.

Selenium toxicity is a very serious health issue and occurs when someone gets too much selenium, especially over a sustained period of time. The symptoms of this start off with a metallic taste in the mouth, garlic-breath, changes to the hair, changes to finger and toe nails. If elevated intake of selenium continues, it can lead to nausea, diarrhea, mood changes, difficulty breathing, tremors, heart failure, kidney failure, and even death.

For some people, getting too much selenium is very easy. Those Brazil nuts listed at the beginning of this post? They contain about 68-91 micrograms per nut (which is more than an entire daily recommended amount).

The National Institute of Health suggests that the upper limit of selenium on a daily basis is 400 micrograms, so even a couple of handfuls of this tasty nut can cause problems.

Fortunately, the human body is generally pretty good at getting rid of excessive amounts of nutrients, so eating some extra Brazil nuts (or other selenium-rich foods) one day isn’t going to cause problems. The issue arises when people consume large amounts on a regular basis.

So, while selenium is an essential nutrient, you have to be careful to ensure you get enough, but not too much, for optimal health.

Selenium is essential, but don’t get too much!

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