If a little is good, more must be better, right?

Unfortunately too many people believe this when it comes to taking dietary supplements. Some vitamins and minerals are actually harmful when taken at high dosages.

Take selenium for example. Selenium functions as an antioxidant in the body, working with vitamin E and thyroid hormone. The daily requirement for adults is 55ug per day, however toxicity can develop with intakes over 400ug per day. Toxicity symptoms include loss and brittleness of nails and hair, irritability, fatigue, nervous system disorders and garlic breath odor.

You can also add increasing the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes to the list if results of a recently published study prove to be accurate. I'll spare you all the details of the study (however if you are interested, click here), but essentially what these researchers found was that long term doses of 200ug per day of selenium raised a person's chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.

As in any research, care must be taken at interpreting results. One study alone does not prove the relationship, however it is safe to say these results are interesting and will no doubt spur further research.

So what is the significance of all this for you? You may be thinking this doesn't even apply to you because you don't regularly take selenium supplements. I suggest you take a look at any multivitamins you take routinely, some contain selenium so you actually may be getting more than you think you are.

Do you really need supplemental selenium? In my opinion, no.

Selenium is found in soil, and thus vegetables and other plants grown in most areas of the country provide adequate sources of dietary selenium. Even in areas that have low soil selenium levels, a large variety of foods from other areas of the country are available that provide selenium. Seafood and organ meats are also good sources of selenium. Deficiencies are relatively rare in the US.

By: Sue Roberts
Sue Roberts, MPH MS RD/CN is a certified nutritionist and registered dietitian.
Get a copy of her FREE ebook, "The Secrets about Weight Loss Supplements: What You Need to Know" at http://www.YourOnlineNutritionist.com.

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Comment from Stan on August 24, 2007
Just became aware of the possible dangers of selenium supplementation yesterday, and I'm now very concerned. I take a prostate "complex" supplement, which includes (among other things like saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, etc.) selenium - 200 micrograms - daily.

And, just as you caution, I checked my multivitamin, and sure enough, it contains the same amount. So, I'm getting twice as much as I thought I was (and, to be honest, I hadn't really thought much about it, because I wasn't aware before yesterday that there was any real danger. And I'm a guy who takes a lot of supplements, but is VERY diligent about monitoring what's in them and how much I take.)

I believe the prostate complex has done me quite a bit of good. (BTW, I'll turn 50 this year.) Nightime urination has decreased significantly, the urge to "go" all the time has also greatly diminished, and my annual physical exam reveals a normal, healthy prostate (according to my PSA test and "digital" exam.)

So, my questions are these: Should I stop taking the prostate supplement AND the multivitamin I was taking? There is, of course, a myriad of choices in multivitamins, and I have another in my "inventory" - albeit just a few tablets - with a much lower selenium content. Is it safe to continue taking the prostate complex, but switch to a multi with little or no selenium? What's a guy to do?!?!

Lastly, you use an abbreviation in your article with which I'm not familiar - is it "ug" - ? Is this the same thing as "mcg," i.e., microgram(s)? And, do I assume correctly that 1000 micrograms = one (1) milligram?

Thank you very much in advance for your response.

Comment to Stan on August 25, 2007
From: Editor - Fitness - Diet And Exercise.

Dear Stan: We can not provide actual medical advice in this blog, However I suggest that you speak with your Doctor. I will say that if it were I, I would not take any multiple vitamins that contain selenium. Your Doctor may however, know of reasons that you in your situation need more selenium.