The trace element selenium is one of theTolfioow minerals and should therefore not be missing from any diet. An undersupply can lead to selenium deficiency with the following seven symptoms.
The mineral selenium is one of the trace elements and is of great importance for human health. Both a selenium excess and a selenium deficiency can lead to symptoms and even increase the risk of certain diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular diseases. In Europe, due to selenium-poor soils , certain population groups may be undersupplied with the mineral. The following symptoms can indicate a selenium deficiency.
Table of Contents
Selenium deficiency: These 7 symptoms can occur
With a balanced diet, a selenium deficiency in Germany is rather unlikely, despite selenium-poor soils. However, there is an increased risk of selenium deficiency in premature babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, cystic fibrosis, kidney failure or alcohol addiction, as well as people living vegan . They should therefore pay even more attention to the following signs.
1. Susceptibility to infection
Selenium has an antioxidant effect and helps your body to scavenge free radicals. It protects the cells from oxidative stress and chronic inflammation and contributes to the body’s immune system. If, on the other hand, there is a selenium deficiency, your immune system can be impaired over the long term, making you more susceptible to infections and silent inflammation .
2. Muscle weakness
Selenium also serves as a building block for numerous enzymes that are required for muscle contractions, among other things. A selenium deficiency can therefore restrict muscle function and thus reduce your performance in sports and everyday life.
3. Increased hypothyroidism
The organ with the highest selenium content in the human body is the thyroid gland. While iodine is even more important for thyroid health and function, if you already have an iodine deficiency, a selenium deficiency can make thyroid disease worse. Therefore, people with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s should not only ensure an adequate supply of iodine, but also selenium.
4. Decreased fertility
Certain enzymes involved in the production of sperm can only be made with the help of selenium. If the male body lacks selenium, sperm formation in the testicles can be disturbed.
5. Cardiac arrhythmias
A dangerous selenium deficiency is not to be expected in Germany. In certain regions of Central Africa and Asia, however, selenium intake can be so severely restricted that serious deficiency diseases can occur. For example, in some regions of China there is what is known as Keshan disease , in which the function of the heart muscle is impaired and cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure can occur as a result.
6. White spots on fingernails
This cosmetic symptom can occur with a variety of deficiencies, such as iron deficiency, zinc deficiency or calcium deficiency . Likewise, a selenium deficiency can cause the unusual white spots on the nails. In addition to a blood test for selenoprotein P, a selenium deficiency can also be determined based on the selenium content in the nails.
7. Hair loss
Likewise, a selenium deficiency can be determined based on the selenium content of the hair. As with a lack of iron, protein or B vitamins , these can fail or thin out if too little selenium is available in the body. Since various deficiencies can be the cause of this, you should always visit your doctor to have a specific diagnosis made by means of a blood test or hair sample.
Foods with selenium: How to meet your selenium needs
On the one hand, selenium occurs naturally in plants that absorb the mineral from the soil. In selenium-poor regions, it is also added to the animal feed of fattening animals, which means that selenium is also found in animal products in this country. The following foods contribute to your supply of selenium:
- fish
- hard cheese
- No
- liver
- porcini mushrooms
- Mushrooms
- oatmeal
- walnuts
- lenses
- Brazil nuts
Important: Due to strongly fluctuating selenium levels and radioactive contamination, the German Society for Nutrition recommends a maximum of two Brazil nuts per day .
Is there a selenium deficiency in Germany?
According to estimates by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) , the daily intake of selenium for adults in Germany is between 31 and 66 micrograms . This wide range results from the fact that no data is available on the exact selenium content of German foods, but the EFSA estimated the selenium intake based on general consumption studies. Since the daily selenium requirement is 60 micrograms for women and 70 micrograms for men , depending on diet and gender, an undersupply can actually occur. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE)sees vegan and vegetarian people in particular as potentially undersupplied with selenium.
Despite the selenium-poor soils, a selenium deficiency is rare in Europe with a balanced diet . Significantly more dangerous is the oversupply of selenium through dietary supplements. The so-called therapeutic range of the mineral is very small – even slightly exceeding the daily recommended amounts can lead to an overdose. A selenium overdose can cause diarrhea, hair loss, brittle nails, tooth decay and cardiac insufficiency, which is why independent supplementation without medical supervision is strictly discouraged .
What other nutrient deficiencies are there?
In contrast to the rather rare selenium deficiency, there are other nutrient deficiencies in Germany that can occur much more frequently. For example, there is a risk of vitamin D deficiency in the dark winter months. Likewise, vegan people can suffer from a vitamin B12 deficiency in the absence of nutritional supplements. Here you can find out what other defects can occur and what symptoms they cause:
