Selenium RDI
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Symptoms of selenium deficiency are:
- Thyroid disorder (hypothyroidism)
- Cardiomyopathy
- Cognition problems with learning, remembering
- Depressed mood
- Frequent infections
- Heart disease
- High cholesterol levels
- Liver damage
- Muscle pain and degeneration
- Premature ageing
- Sterility (in males)
People who experience any of the symptoms above should seek the advice of their doctor about selenium supplementation.
Selenium deficiency occurs when dietary intake of selenium is less than 40mcg per day. Some researchers believe that around 40% of the population is at risk of selenium deficiency
Very Severe Selenium Deficiency
In addition to this, very severe selenium deficiency can cause the following health conditions:
- Keshan's Disease
- Kashin-Beck Disease
Keshan's disease affects the heart and occurs mainly in selenium-deficient soils particularly in certain regions of China, where it was first diagnosed. The acute version of Keshan's disease has a sudden onset of cardiac problems, while the chronic version has moderate to severe heart enlargement with varying levels of cardiac problems. Selenium supplementation can protect against Keshan's disease, but cannot reverse heart muscle damage once it occurs.
Kashin-Beck disease is associated with degeneration of the articular cartilage between joints (osteoarthritis) and occurs in areas such as northern China, North Korea, and eastern Siberia, which have poor selenium soil. Kashin-Beck Disease affects children between the ages 5 and 13 years. Severe forms of the disease may result in joint deformities and dwarfism, due to degeneration of cartilage forming cells. Unlike Keshan disease, there is little evidence that improving selenium nutritional status prevents Kashin-Beck disease.