Can you get enough Selenium from food and dietary sources ?

It is fairly easy to get the RDA for selenium if you have a reasonably well balanced diet. Natural dietary sources of selenium include organ meats, seafood, lean meat, dairy products, and chicken. Whole grains, such as oatmeal and brown rice, Brazil nuts, brewer’s yeast, broccoli, garlic, kelp, molasses, onions, and various herbs are good plant sources of selenium, but only if they are grown in selenium-rich soil.

However, higher intakes of selenium than the current RDA are needed to help fight heart disease and cancer, and some people, including those with chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn’s disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), have trouble absorbing this mineral.

If you are interested in getting the maximum amount of antioxidant protection from selenium, then selenium supplements may be needed. Selenium supplements come in organic and inorganic forms. Organic supplements are derived from yeast, and contain selenomethionine, a form that is thought to be better absorbed by the body. Inorganic selenium supplements contain sodium selenite and sodium selenate, two forms of selenium that are not as easily absorbed by the body.












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