Thyroid tip

Selenium deficiency in Hashimoto's Disease(Most Common reason for Hypothyroidism/ underactive Thyroid)
A dosage of 200 mcg per day has been found to reduce thyroid antibodies in clinical trials, Selenium cut the antibodies in half within three months....Curious about the science behind it? Read on

Selenium

Selenium plays a very important role in Thyroid function:

1.Helps to convert the inactive T4 to the biologically active T3
2.Protecting Thyroid cells from oxidative damage .

Selenium deficiency, causes more antibodies to produce resulting in the failure to recognize self from non-self. This is how autoimmunity develops. Thus, selenium deficiency has also been recognized as a risk factor for Hashimoto’s.

Selenium deficiency may also occur in abdominal disease such as celiac disease and other inflammatory bowel disorders due to the malabsorption from damage to the small intestine and Crohn’s disease or surgical removal of the stomach.

Studies have proposed that supplemental selenium could alleviate toxic effect of excessive iodine intake on the thyroid.

Selenium intake protects against Thyroid Autoimmunity by acting as an Antioxidant, and preventing autoimmunity. Furthermore, ultrasounds of the thyroid following selenium supplementation showed reduced lesions in the thyroid gland.

While the RDA of selenium is 200 mcg daily, for TPO antibody reduction,.

Dr.Tanvi recommends taking the pure encapsulations brand of selenium on an empty stomach with vitamin E, which works in synergy with selenium, to ensure proper absorption. (Please note, many Vitamin E brands are made from soy oil, which can be detrimental to thyroid health, so use the one which is derived from sunflower oil ).
While it may be tempting to increase selenium intake by increasing consumption of selenium-rich foods such as Brazil nuts, it is important to realize that over consumption can lead selenium toxicity. Symptoms include GI disturbances, hair loss, changes in hair and nails, peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, irritability, garlic-smelling breath, and a jaundice-like yellow tint to the skin.